An apple a day (APH America)
by Missmessy12
Summary: No one wakes up one day and decides "I'm never going to eat again", and the same can be said about Alfred F. Jones, the United States of America. However, this did not develop in a day. But, America's new motto seems to hold true. "An Apple a Day keeps Prying Eyes Away"... Warning: mentions of Anorexia and Bulimia
1. No one

**Warning: This chapter, and this entire story, includes Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. If you are uncomfortable with reading about these subjects, then do not read this story. You have been warned.**

America woke up in a hospital bed, an I.V. cord protruding from his arm, as well as several other cords. "What the..." He mumbled, voice dry and gravelly from lack of use. He looked around, seeing an empty hospital room, except for the required monitors and tables. There was no one sitting next to his bed, no one hoping he would wake up, no cards saying "Get Well Soon" or "We Miss You". Once again, America felt alone, and began to wonder why he was in the hospital in the first place. At first, all he could remember was waking up that day, showering, drinking a glass of water, cleaning his house, then heading to the gym. Anything after that was blurry, but America forced himself to think harder. The harder he thought, the more confused he became, but little by little, his memory of the gym came back. He entered the gym at his usual time, and began to work his usual routine; 100 Jumping Jacks, 90 Crunches, 80 Squats, 70 Leg Lifts, 60 Jumping Jacks, so on and so forth, continuing until he reached 20 Jumping Jacks, in which he would run for 10 minutes afterwards. His usual partner, Conner, was waiting for him, and was ready to start the exercise. "Hey Alfred, you ready for today?" He asked, and America struggled to remember what made that day so important. "Today's your cheat day, remember? We'll go to any restaurant, and get anything you want to eat! I know I'm excited!"

America forced a smile on his face," Yeah dude! I'm totally excited for that, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cancel. My... brother, Matthew, is visiting!" America lied, hoping Conner wouldn't question him. "Your brother? Matthew?" Conner repeated, and America nodded," Yep, that's the one!" "The brother who lives in Canada, and never calls you?" America nodded, heart thumping weakly in his chest. "Alright then, if you say so..." America almost sighed in relief, before Conner asked," Oh, did you eat before coming over here?" America shook his head no," Nah, I was gonna eat on my way home so it's totally fine-" "Here, it's a granola bar. It'll give you more energy, and will make sure you don't go hungry until we're done exercising!" America felt his throat constrict slightly, and he tried to refuse the offer, but took the granola bar anyways. _Crap dude, that's like 100 Calories!_ America braced himself as he tore the plastic package open, and bit off a piece of oats and peanut butter. "Great! I'll be right back, gotta make sure our usual spot is still open!" Conner called, jogging off to see if there was an open space in the cardio section. As soon as Conner was gone, America ran to the bathroom, throwing the granola bar in the trash can. He forced two fingers down his throat, and started gagging.

"Hey, Alfred, the spot's open but not for long so we gotta... Go?" Conner shouted, lowering his voice to a questionable whisper. "Alfred? Where'd ya go?" He asked, looking around left and right. He tapped someone on the shoulder," Hey, did you see a guy with blond hair and blue eyes come through here? Wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt?" He asked, and the person nodded," Mmhmm, the guy ran to the bathroom. Should probably go check on him, he's been in there for ten minutes" Conner nodded, tossing a "thank you" over his shoulder as he bolted towards the bathroom. He slammed the door open, shouting," Alfred! Alfred, bud, you in here?" After getting no response, he began slamming stall doors open, panicking. He _knew,_ dammit, he knew about Alfred's eating disorder! He should have stayed with him, he should have taken him with him, anything but leave him alone! He slammed the final door open, and froze at the sight. His exercise partner and best friend, Alfred Jones, was passed out on the bathroom floor, blood spilling from his head, and a foul odor coming from the toilet. He took a glance into the toilet, and Conner nearly threw up his breakfast. There were bits of undigested granola, surrounded by blood floating in the stained toilet bowl. A quiet moan shook him from his thoughts, and he patted himself down, looking frantically for his cellphone, before realizing he left it at home.

He looked through Alfred's pockets, and found a cell phone with a Star Spangled Phone Case. He dialed 911, and explained what happened. "I-I don't know how long he's been like this, he has an eating disorder and now he's passed out and there's blood and I don't know what to do and- Oh God what if he's dead!? My best friend can't die!" Conner cried, the operator trying to calm him down. _The address_ something whispered in his mind, and he forced himself to take deep breaths. "W-we're in the f-first floor Men's Bathroom of Planet Fitness, the streets are-" "Yes sir, I know, please, tell me the condition of your friend. When was the last time he ate?" "T-today, I gave him a granola bar b-but he threw it up"

America winced when the door opened, and a nurse came in with an emotionless face, although her eyes held concern and pity. "Alright sir, I need to ask you a few questions" She said, and America nodded silently. "What is your name?" "A-Alfred... Jones" America mumbled, and the doctor wrote it down," Do you have any living relatives?" "M-my twin, Matthew, he lives in Canada. I have... Close friends, Francis Bonnefoy and... Arthur Kirkland" America replied, and the nurse nodded. She asked a few more questions, in which America answered honestly and quietly. "Last question sweetheart, okay?" America nodded. "When did this all start?" "... I.. don't understand" America replied honestly. Did she want when he started to diet? When he was diagnosed? When the words finally got to him? "I want to know when.. when you started to care about your weight, if that makes sense?" America nodded, thinking he understood. "I-it was... about three months ago, when I started to diet..." America finally said after a few minutes, and the nurse nodded. "It was right after work, I was going to go home and, I dunno, watch some TV or play some video games with some pals but.. that obviously didn't go as planned" America attempted to joke, and the nurse nodded.

America hummed quietly, strumming his fingers on the wooden table. He had a notebook opened in front of him, as well as a pencil. The lead was snapped, meaning America couldn't doodle in the notebook, or take notes, if he had wanted to do either of those. This was the last of the day's presentations, this one being presented by Estonia. America, to say the very least, was incredibly bored. Estonia usually tricked out his power points with little jokes here and there so the others didn't fall asleep, but Estonia had rushed this one, so America could tell without even listening that the presentation was full of errors and was overall very sloppy. Britain elbowed him in the ribs, his eyes gesturing to the powerpoint, meaning "America, pay attention!" America rolled his eyes, but watched Estonia anyways. _Come to think of it, why do we call him Britain? He isn't 'Great Britain', he's the United Kingdom! Then again, 'UK' or 'Kingdom' are both pretty crappy names. I guess I'll just stick with Britain... or maybe Artie, yeah, Artie sounds way better!_ America smiled slightly, catching no-one's attention, thankfully. Eventually, Estonia finished his presentation, people asked questions, and Germany allowed people to finish taking notes before dismissing everyone. "Ah, that was an odd meeting!" America yawned, standing and stretching. Canada nodded, walking to stand beside him," Yeah, we actually got work done today. I bet that won't happen again, eh?"

America snickered, folding his arms behind his head. "Put your arms down, git, your beer gut is showing" Britain scolded, and America blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Dude! Heroes don't have guts! They totally have crazy-defined abs and lots of muscles! So me, being the hero, have both!" America exclaimed, pulling his shirt down slightly. France snickered slightly," If zhat eez what you believe, zhen 'o am I to stop you?" America was silent for a moment, processing the words. Had _France_ just called him _fat?_ "Maybe if he spent more time working out like Germany does, then he wouldn't be so grasso*!" Italy suggested, causing America to flinch slightly. "W-whatever, you all are just so totally jealous of my kick-ass body! See y'all later, I got zed to blast!" America called over his shoulder, dashing to his car. He drove home silently, allowing the voices of Dan Reynolds and P!NK to take over the outside world. _Am I really fat?_ America asked himself, thinking about what other countries had said. _Of course not, I'm the hero, and heroes don't get fat! **Heroes also don't drop Atomic Bombs on their best friend, but I'm not supposed to judge**_ hissed a voice in his mind, and America flinched. _Harsh_ America thought, before mentally kicking himself. Was he seriously trying to have a conversation with himself!?

As soon as he got home, America flopped down onto his couch, turning on the TV. He settled for watching The Big Bang Theory, while continuing to think. He placed a hand on his stomach, and pressed down slightly, expecting to feel abs or at least something flat and firm. Instead, his hand sank down into his tummy, and he felt little fat-rolls settle on top of his hand. "W-wha?!" America exclaimed, startling the sleeping dog next to him. He jumped up and ran up the stairs to his bathroom, pulling out a scale from under the sink. He stripped to his boxers and stood on the scale, waiting. _213_ the scale flashed, causing America's heart to sink into his overweight stomach. "Dude, that's totally not healthy!" He exclaimed, looking hesitantly to the mirror. He pinched at his stomach, and blushed slightly when he saw he had a bit of a muffin-top hanging over his pants. "Shit" He mumbled, grabbing the offending flab in his hands," This isn't good" America's golden retriever, Apollo, barked at his feet, jumping slightly. America chuckled, before scratching the dog behind his ears," I guess you need to go for a walk, huh?"

Apollo barked in confirmation, and America smiled," Alright, lemme get your leash" he said, discarding his button-down shirt and trading it for a tank-top. He clipped Apollo's leash to his collar, and slid on his running shoes, grabbing his house keys before leaving and locking the door behind him. Apollo pulled on the leash, ready to get moving, and America had to start out in a light jog to keep up with the excited retriever. The jog soon turned into a run as Apollo saw a butterfly and decided to chase it into the park, where America un-clipped the leash and allowed Apollo to run loose, barking at everything that moved. He laughed slightly, placing a hand on his tummy. _How am I going to get rid of this?_ America asked himself, leaning back on a bench.

America breathed out through his nose as the door opened, and his first visitor entered. "Howdy, Conner" America greeted weakly, and Conner pulled up a chair. "Hey, Alfred" Conner replied, gripping the rails of America's bed. "So, my buddy sent me a video game a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if-" Conner wrapped his arms around America's small frame, shaking slightly. "I'm sorry, I should've been a better friend" he whimpered, crying into America's bony shoulder. America froze for a second, before relaxing into the tight embrace. "It's okay, dude. It isn't your fault, and besides, no one ever wakes up one day and decides they're never going to eat again.

 **And that's the first chapter... I don't know when I'm going to continue this, but I definitely will! And, I'm sorry if I get any facts wrong... that's all for now, bye**


	2. Wakes up

**Warning: Talk of Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing/foul language, and terrible writing**

Conner sighed as Alfred had fell asleep, his breathing long and shallow. He stood and ran a hand through his brown hair, wondering if Alfred had any relatives that he could stay with. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out Alfred's phone, typing in the pass-code _1776_ , and opening his contacts list. _Antonio C._ was the first name, then came _Arthur K.; Feli V.; Francis B.; Gilbert B.; I. Yong Soo; Ivan B.; Kiku H.;_ continuing all the way down to _Yao W._. He noticed two names had stars next to them, Timothy and Pierre. _Choose one_ Conner told himself, before pressing onto Timothy. Timothy had picked up after two rings, letting out a tired," Hello?" "Hello, is this Timothy?" Conner asked, and the other line was silent for a moment, before Timothy responded. "What did you do ta Alfred?" He asked, sporting a thick Boston accent. "I.. I didn't do anything to him, he... passed out, at the gym. We're in the Hospital right now" Timothy was silent again, before Conner heard lots of noise from the other line," Don't move an inch, me an' Pierre are gonna be dere faster den you can say Roanoke" "We're at Lenox!" Conner informed him before the line went dead, and he assumed that Timothy had hung up. "How long has this been going on, Alfred?" he asked to the sleeping man on the hospital bed, folding his arms.

America jogged to the end of the street, where a few other morning runners were jogging in place. "Hey there, Alfred, still on that diet?" One of them, a woman, asked. America nodded," Mmhmm, lost a few pounds already!" "That's great!" The light turned green, and the crowd dispersed. "Well, see you around!" The woman said, crossing the street. America turned the corner, jogging to where he knew a grocery store would be. America had his wallet in his jacket pocket, as well as a shopping list of protein-rich foods and lots of vegetables and fruits. He stopped a few feet away from the store, leaning on a lamppost and raising his hands to his head to help him breathe. America's cellphone rang in his pocket, playing _No One Notices Your Brand New T-Shirt._ "Hey bro!" America greeted, answering the call. "O-oh, you knew it was me!" Came a delighted response. "Course I would, dude, why wouldn't I?" "It's just that you always- nevermind, where are you?" Canada asked, and America shrugged, before remembering Canada couldn't see him," I'm at the grocery store, they got some pretty neat produce here in NYC, you should come see for yourself!" "That's the thing, Al... me, Arthur, and Francis have been waiting for you at the Airport for about an hour now" America fell silent after the revelation, before cursing," Fuck, sorry dude, I totally forgot! Listen I'll come by and pick you guys up and get y'all something to eat, kay?"

Canada sighed, before replying with," Fine, but Arthur's getting pretty pissed. You better hurry" "Dude, I always hurry, because I'm-" "The hero, yeah, we know. Bye" Canada finished, but unlike the other countries, there was no hint of annoyance in his voice. America shoved his phone in his pocket before sprinting back to his home, taking about ten minutes to get back. "T-Tony, dude" America panted out as he fumbled with his keys," Make sure to leave my *pant* planner out when you clean the house" America drove as quick as he could to Airport, weaving in-and-out of traffic before parking in the lot twenty minutes later. He ran inside, accidentally elbowing and pushing some people, who shouted and cursed at him. "Fuck, where did they say they were?" America asked no one in particular, looking around for a familiar pair of bushy eyebrows, or a wayward curl on someone's head. America did see a few people with long blond hair, but none of them oozed 'froginess', as Britain called it, quite like France did. America sighed, knowing this would result in death, but he knew he had to do it anyways. He took a deep breath, and was about to shout," The Beatles suck!" before he heard someone call," Alfred!" from behind him.

America turned around to see Canada, France, and Britain waiting less then patiently for him, and he blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Sup dudes?" America asked loudly, wrapping his arms around them all and squeezing tightly. "A-America, can't breathe" Canada whimpered, and America let go of them quickly," Whoops, sorry dudes" He apologized, and Britain rolled his eyes, huffing. "You look like you just went jogging" France noted disdainfully, eyeing America's sweaty jacket and running shorts. "Because I did" America replied happily," Are we gonna go eat or what?" America asked, getting impatient. "Ah, yes, but I don't want any of that fatty food you bring to every meeting" Britain said, dragging his suitcase away. "What's wrong with Mc. D's?!" America whined, and Britain scoffed," I don't feel like getting heart disease, or becoming over weight. You clearly care about neither, if your flabby stomach has anything to say about it" America felt his heart sink at those words, but laughed it off," Whatever dude, your just totally jealous of my totally heroic body"

America loaded everyone's suitcases into the trunk of his car, before climbing into the driver seat. Eventually, the quartet made it to America's home in one piece, after stopping at Dunkin' Donuts (Because America runs on Dunkin') and grabbing a few donuts and some coffee (and some tea for Britain), then America unloaded everyone's stuff. "You can take your own luggage to your room" America huffed as he dropped France's suitcase on the ground. "D-did you get Kumakiji?" Canada asked, and America nodded," Yeah, Kuma's right here dude" He confirmed, opening the little dog cage to allow the miniature sized polar-bear to walk freely. "Hungry!" He whined, pawing at Canada's leg. Canada sighed, about to give up a donut, before America tossed his donut to the bear. "He can have mine, I don't feel very hungry anyways 'cus I ate before going on a jog" America said simply, stretching his arms above his head. "Th-thanks" Canada said in his usual quiet voice, and America waved him off dismissively," Don't worry 'bout it. I gotta take a piss, go ahead and get comfortable" America said, walking calmly to the bathroom. He closed the door and pulled his shirt and jacket off, staring glumly at his stomach. "It isn't working?" He mumbled pitifully, turning to the side to see that his stomach was, indeed, still hanging over the waist-band of his shorts. "Damn... maybe I should stop eating out so much" _But that means you'll skip meals, and won't be able to eat on your way to meetings and-_ "Shut up, dude, it just means I need to wake up earlier, and make a sandwich or somethin', I'll be fine" America said to himself, pulling his jacket and shirt on again, before flushing the toilet to make it seem like he had used it. He flopped down next to Canada on the couch, allowing the Canadian to slide closer to him as the cushions gave way to his weight. _Need to lose those pounds_ The voice chimed in America's head, and for once, he agreed with it.

Two teenagers, around sixteen, entered the room quietly. "Are you Conner?" One of them asked, he had blond hair, thick eyebrows, green eyes, and freckles. He nodded," You two are... Timothy and Pierre?" "Yep" "Mmhmm" Timothy and Pierre answered at the same time. "I'm Timoty" "And I'm Pierre" The introduced themselves, and Conner nodded. Timothy was the first one who spoke, Pierre had dark skin and long hair pulled into a frizzy pony-tail, as well as blue eyes. "What happened ta.. Alfred?" Pierre asked, a Southern drawl lacing his words. "He passed out at the gym, just like I said" Conner replied steadily, wondering how much these two knew. "You can tell us, we're his brothers" Pierre added, blue eyes filled with worry. Conner sighed, hoping the kid wasn't lying. "Alfred has... an eating disorder" He began, and Timothy nodded glumly. "Yeah, we knew. We tried ta keep him eatin' but he never retained da calories, ya know?" He sighed, and Conner nodded slightly. "Well, I gave him a granola bar, which he started to eat. But when I walked off, he went to the bathroom and purged the little bit of granola he ate into the toilet, along with his blood and stomach fluids"

Pierre and Timothy stayed silent as Conner described everything that had happened, including how Alfred had woken up at some point, and stayed awake long enough to answer a nurse's questions and talk to Conner himself, before passing out again. Timothy nodded, leaning on the wall," Dat's Alfred for ya.. Always awake to help oders but when it's convenient for himself, he'll be asleep" He tried to joke, attempting to lighten the mood, but failing. "Whose gonna fill in for him at work?" Pierre asked, and Conner shrugged," I know Matthew probably won't, but the Hospital will probably call and tell them he's unable to come in" Timothy and Pierre nodded glumly," Can we have moment alone with Alfred?" Pierre asked, and Conner nodded," Of course, he is your brother after all" Conner left the room after taking one last pitiful glance at Alfred's skinny and frail body, tears welling up in his eyes as the gravity of everything set in.

Timothy and Pierre were silent for a minute... then two minutes... three minutes... then four, before finally speaking. "Someone has ta tell the others 'bout this" Pierre sighed, wiping his eyes. "I know, Pierre, I know" Timothy mumbled, sliding down the wall to sit on his bum. "What is everyone gonna say? Oh man they'll be so upset, especially the younger ones like Santa Fe and Oregon and Red River and Florida and Alaska and-" "I get it, Pierre, we have a lot of people to tell, but we will get around to it" Timothy grumbled, clutching the sleeves of his jacket tightly. "But, who's gonna take America's place in the meetin's!? The Superpower has ta be there or nothin' will get done so one of us has ta fill in-" "I KNOW, LOUISIANA TERRITORY, DO YOU TINK I DON'T!?" Timothy shouted, tears running down his blotchy cheeks. Louisiana took a step back, shocked, before his lip began to tremble," I'm scared, New England, what if the other nations take this as a sign of weakness an' decide to attack?" He whimpered, falling to his knees and burying his head into New England's chest.

"Listen ta me, Louisiana" New England sighed, rubbing his brother's back soothingly," America may be down for now, but I'll represent us trew da meetings, I've been trew every war in American history, dey won't mess wit me. America will wake up soon, he'll get bettah soon, and den... everything'll go back to normal" "Promise?" Louisiana territory asked, and New England nodded," I promise"

America started his day by getting down on his hands and toes, and doing 50 pushups, 50 situps, and 50 lunges. It may seem excessive to others, but that's just how he started his day. The next UN Summit was in a few days, and America wanted to drop at least one pound before meeting all the judgmental nations. "America, what the bloody hell are you doing up there!?" Britain shouted from the living room as America's arms gave out from the pushups. _Odd, they've never given out before... Oh, it must mean my body's getting used to the McDonald's withdrawal! This is perfect, my body will start eating the extra fat and I won't be so chubby anymore!_ With an uplifting thought in his head, America forced himself to finish his exercise on shaky arms, before lying on his floor with sore biceps and triceps. "Damn" He whispered, out of breath," I am so out of shape" It was true that he hadn't woken up to exercise like that since the Cold War, but he shouldn't be that shaken by a bit of work! "Shower... then eat" America told himself, standing slowly.

He passed France on his way to the bathroom, sweat slowly running down his body. "Oh, is petite Amérique a bit tired from getting out of bed zhis morning?" He asked, an eyebrow raised mockingly. "What is zhis, a belly? Mon dieu, it must be zhe end of zhe world for you, Amérique, to know zhat you are fat" France laughed, walking down the stairs and jumping onto an unsuspecting Britain. America frowned, heading into the bathroom and closing the door firmly. He pinched his stomach, which still seemed to be hanging over his waistband, and then pinched at his sides. If America simply looked in the mirror, he never would have known about the fat on his sides, but he wasn't simply looking in the mirror, and he now know about the fat on his sides. There wasn't as much fat as there was on his stomach, but it was still there. "Dammit, I need to loose all this" America grumbled, stripping out of his boxers and sweatpants. He pulled out a scale, and stood on it. _210_ it flashed, and America frowned. Only three pounds? He's been on this diet for at least two weeks!

He sighed, stepping into the shower and turning on the water, ignoring the burning feeling on his skin as the air steamed up around him. _Maybe the hot water will wash the fat away_ America thought, and he snickered. He always was a dreamer, in that way. He finished the shower quickly, as he had only wanted to get rid of the smell of sweat, and he pulled on his boxers and sweatpants, hot water continuing to run down his fat body. He ran a towel through his hair, before grabbing his phone from his room and flopping onto his couch next to Apollo, scratching the dog's head affectionately. "Good morning Al, good morning Apollo" Canada greeted, sitting down next to the American. "Sup dude" America replied, his thumb flying over his thumb screen. "What are you looking at, Al?" Canada asked, and America shook his head," Nothin' important, dude. Well, I take that back, everything the hero looks at is important, but not to civilians like you"

Canada rolled his eyes, scoffing jokingly. America's eyes widened slightly at the result of his search, his jaw slackening slightly. _How long does it take to loose weight with steady exercise and controlled eating? **1-2 pounds per week**_ was the answer, and America had to swallow his shout of dismay. "Breakfast is ready!" France called from the kitchen, jolting America out of his spiral of despair. "Yay!" Canada cheered quietly, walking quickly to the kitchen, while America followed more slowly. "What is it?" America asked, and France grinned," At zhe request of Angleterre, I 'ave made beans and toast wizh sausage and eggs" He replied proudly, passing out plates of the meal to everyone. France muttered a quick prayer of thanks, no one eating out of respect for France's religion, before beginning to eat.

"Why aren't you eating, Al?" Canada asked quietly, and America shrugged. "Well, I'm on a diet and I'm not sure this is good for me, if I'm being honest dude" He replied simply, poking at the eggs with a fork. Britain's large eyebrows flew up in surprise, and he smiled," You're on a diet? That's wonderful! It's nice to see you taking care of your body for a change" France nodded in agreement," I agree wizh Britain, but surely eating one meal off-course could not 'urt?" He asked," 'ow much weight 'ave you lost?" "Three pounds" America said happily, and France nodded," Which means you deserve zhis meal. Come on, eat up, I'm not letting you let my wonderful cooking go to waste" America recoiled slightly, wrinkling his nose. "Don't reward me with food, dude, I'm not a dog!" America scraped a few beans onto his slice of toast, before taking a bite," I'll eat this and the eggs on my plate, but that's it. I can't regain the pounds I worked hard to lose" "But, Amérique-" "No buts, this is my final word as a hero!" America declared, taking a large bite out of the beans and toast.

 **** **I hope this chapter was okay... anyways, if anything in here was shit, please let me know. I want to make this a good story. Until next time, good bye**


	3. One Day

**"A little nitpick I have is that the flashbacks aren't marked in some way. It would make it a little easier to read if you did that." Yeah, I agree. I tried to do something for the first two chapters that would separate the flash-backs from "reality" but it evidently didn't save into the chapters... I'll try and underline them, would that work? Example:**

 **Reality**

 **Flashback**

 **I hope that works, and other than that, I only have the usual warnings of anorexia, bulimia, and cursing**

New England sighed, staring out the car window as the scenery of New York City blurred by. Louisiana Territory had a tight grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles pale as he looked for the United Nations Headquarters. "We could ask Google Maps" New England said after a few minutes, and Louisiana Territory shook his head no," I've had to drop America's lunch off plenty of times, I know how to get to the UN.. it's just... I'm nervous, what if they try to attack you?" "They won't, I promise you dat much. De secretary knows I'm substituting for America until he's well enough to come back, and I've been allowed to bring a gun in so I can protect myself" New England explained, patting the holster attached to his right leg. Louisiana Territory swallowed his spit, but nodded anyways," If you say so" he said nervously, slowing to a stop to let New England exit the car. "I'll be fine, Pierre, I promise. I'll text you when de meeting's over" New England whispered as he wrapped Louisiana Territory in a tight hug, before pulling away and entering the building. "Bye Timothy..." Pierre said quietly, knowing he was probably overreacting, but it's not like New England would get hurt, these were mature nations, after all!

New England looked around the room, a stack of papers in his hands. They were labelled 'Global Warning Plans' and had incredibly detailed instructions and costs converted to Euros, Pounds, and Yen. _Right now, I just need to find the meeting room..._ New England thought glumly, looking for anyone who might be of service. He eventually saw a short man with long black hair enter the building, complaining about the 'crappy flight service' he received. "Oh, excuse me sir!" New England called. "Aiyaah! 别那样吓我!" ( _Don't scare me like that!_ ) "O-oh, 对不起" ( _I'm sorry_ ) New England apologized, hoping they were just a janitor. "I speak English" The man sighed, surprised that he had been answered in Chinese. "I was wondering if you could show me to de United Nations Summit, de one for de countries?" New England asked, ignoring the stern look from the older man.

"Good morning Timothy! Bonne journée Pierre! Good morning everyone else!" America called up the stairs, setting multiple plates down on the table, and a few more on the coffee table in the living room. Louisiana Territory was the first one to stumble down the stairs, followed by New England. As two of the oldest territories, they shared a room, so of course they'd be awake first. "Good morning Alfred" New England yawned, taking a seat at the couch. Louisiana Territory waved slightly, plopping down next to his older brother. Santa Fe and Red River were the next ones down, then Oregon, Florida, and Alaska. "Still no sign of Alta California, Texas, or Hawaii?" America asked, and everyone shook their heads no. America sighed, but kept a smile on his face," That's fine, I'm sure they're ok!" "What's for breakfast?" Alaska asked as she sat down. "We're having eggs, black pudding, and sausage" America replied, filling everyone's plates with food. "Thanks Alfred" Red River said, taking a bite of scrambled eggs. Once America saw that everyone had been served, he gave himself a less than proportionate serving of what he had given to his younger siblings. "That doesn't look like a lot of food, Alfred" Louisiana Territory observed, cutting a piece of sausage off to eat. "It's fine guys, I'm just on a diet" America reassured them, and Florida scoffed," You don't need a diet, what you need is self confidence"

America rolled his eyes," I have plenty of self confidence dudes! I'm so confident that I could go up to China and say 'screw my debt, you can suck my Star Spangled Balls!'" He laughed, and the others roared with laughter. "Still, Alfred, if your trying to loose weight, eating less isn't the way to do it. It'll help, but exercise is crucial too" Red River reminded him, and America nodded," I know. What, you guys think I'm gonna starve myself?" "We hope not" Florida muttered, but rolled her eyes anyways.

New England looked around at all the countries who gave him weird stares, hoping he didn't look too unprofessional. Everyone else was dressed in a military uniform (Except for a few countries, including the one that had led New England to the room) and New England was dressed in a simple dress shirt, sweater-vest, and slacks. "Who are you?" Asked a country with a thick Irish accent, and New England forced himself to swallow his nervousness. "My name is Timoty, I'm-" "Are you a new country? You sound like a bloody New Yorker" came an English accent, and New England narrowed his eyes. "If you would let me finish, I'd be able to tell you dat I'm substituting for America until he's well enough to resume his duties here" New England snapped, and the one with an English accent glared at him. "Where does America usually sit?" New England asked, and everyone looked to the spot between the United Kingdom and Uruguay. "Thank you" New England sighed, sitting next to the English guy (Whom he decided was the United Kingdom).

"You look like your fifteen, don't tell me Amerique 'as sent in a child to do a country's job?" Asked a country with long blond hair and a beard. "Actually, _France_ " New England snapped, surprising the Frenchman," I am 411 years old, I was born in Jamestown, Virginia. If you allowed me to introduce myself _properly_ , then I could tell you I represent the original thirteen colonies as New England" There was a ripple of whispers across the meeting room, before a nation with slicked-back blond hair and cold blue eyes stood from the spot with 'Germany' written on a plaque. "Vhere is America? Jou said he is not vell enough to do his duties, none of his siblings have received any kind of new like zhat" "That's because we weren't told to tell any of his 'siblings'" New England replied curtly, and the United Kingdom narrowed their eyes at the rude boy. He'd get answers out of him at some point, everyone would get answers if he had anything to do about it.

America jogged to the grocery store, his earbuds plugged in and blasting Asking Alexandria to ignore the outside world. It's been about three weeks and America felt as if he hadn't lost any weight! The scales said he had lost about four pounds in the past weeks, but he still felt overweight! _Stop overreacting, you'll scare the children!_ America scolded himself, before mentally laughing. Nothing could ever scare his siblings, nothing normal, at least. They could be stuck in a trench surrounded by German Nazis and not give a shit, but if you put New England on a boat he'd act like it was the end of the world! He leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees, panting. "You alright dere?" Someone asked, and America nodded," Y-yeah, just a bit tired. Not used to jogging so far" They nodded," I understand, my daughter goes jogging all da time, doesn't usually make it past her bus stop before deciding to stop" America nodded again, standing up straight," Might as well go get some groceries, don't want to starve, am I right?" The man nodded, and waved a goodbye to America before hailing a cab. 

America walked into the store, grabbing a basket and pulling a shopping list from his jacket pocket. "Hmmm, looks like Oregon has requested some oranges. He can always get some from Florida but I guess he won't ever ask her for anything" America felt his stomach growl, and he mentally cursed as he felt tempted to buy a candy bar to settle his stomach. He had Saltine Crackers in the pantry he ate to keep his stomach at bay, so he didn't need to buy anything for himself. _Heh, I'm finally eating like a normal human and my body notices right away. I guess it's a good thing, it means it's eating the fat, which means I won't have this chub hanging over my pants anymore!_ America grinned, reaching for a box of Saltine Crackers because the stuff he had at home was about to run out. He grabbed cereal boxes, a variety of fruits, different kinds of meat, and, of course, American Cheese for sandwiches. He payed the price and had about three grocery bags on his arms. _Here comes the true workout_ America thought, hyping himself up to jog back home.

New England sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The meeting had been going on for hours, and it was now one in the afternoon, meaning New England was bored, hungry, and he was about to murder someone. Denmark had been droning on for hours about ways to prevent laziness from continuing for too much longer in his country by requiring everyone to apply for at least two jobs by the age of 15 and at least three jobs for unemployed people by the age of 21. Finally, Denmark's presentation had ended, and Germany called for a Lunch Break. "About damn time" New England muttered, standing and stretching his arms above his head. "'Ello there, New England" Came a now familiar English accent, and New England looked behind his shoulder to see the United fucking Kingdom talking to him, as well as France and a country that looked a bit like America. _He presented today, idiot, you should remember his name!_ New England scolded himself, searching his mind for a name. "Hello United Kingdom, France, and... uh..." _Shit shit shit whats his name!? Think, dammit, he's America's brother! C-Cambodia... Columbia... Cuba.. C-Canuck... Canuck! Canada!_ "And Canada!" New England announced proudly, happy with himself for remembering.

"Ah yes, we were hoping you would come to eat with us. Canada claims to have found a rather pleasant cafe nearby and we were hoping to talk to you for a little bit" the United Kingdom said," Also, please call me Britain. United Kingdom just doesn't have the same ring to it" New England nodded, thinking. On the one hand, he could go with Britain, France, and Canada to this cafe and tell them about America, but it would be telling them that America was weak. However, on the other hand, eating alone would make him more vulnerable to questioning, and he knew he'd break and tell someone who most definitely had an agenda against America. "Sure, why not" New England sighed, folding his papers up and putting them in his pocket. "Brilliant! Canada, lead zhe way please!" France cheered, looking expectantly at his former colony. Canada nodded and walked away, allowing the teenage New Englishmen to be flanked on both sides by France and Britain. "So then, New England, tell me, what do you remember of living in the colonies?" "Well, I was born de exact moment de first building of Jamestown was erected, and America was dere to be my friend before you came along..."

Eventually, the quartet made it to the cafe and ordered their food. "We'll be sitting over there" Britain said, pointing to a table in a secluded corner of the restaurant, and New England reminded himself that he could pull a gun on them if they tried to jump him. "Calm down, no need to shoot us" Britain said sarcastically, and New England jumped slightly. "S-sorry" He apologized quietly, and Britain waved his hand dismissively," Details, details. Now, I think we all have something we'd like to ask you" He said, resting an elbow on the table. Canada sat up straight, an interested look in his eyes; France twirled a strand of hair on his finger, but kept his eyes trained on New England. "What would dat be?" New England replied, nervous. "Nothing too serious I hope; Now, me, Francis, and Matthew here were Alfred's family long before you could imagine, I fought for his land before Jamestown was even a dream, and me and Francis were taking care of him before Roanoke's... disappearance. Matthew was with him when he lived with the natives, supposedly. Don't you think we deserve to know where Alfred is and what happened to him?"

New England swallowed slightly, gripping his slacks tightly beneath the table. _Tell them tell them tell them tell them_ His voice chorused repeatedly, but he couldn't find a way to speak. He opened and closed his mouth weakly, unable to make sound. Canada sensed his distress, and began to speak," You don't have to tell us right now if you're uncomfortable-" "He's in the hospital" New England choked out," He's in the hospital, probably asleep, hopefully getting a few calories into his body" He whimpered, surprising everyone. "What do you mean,' 'opefully getting a few calories into 'is body?'" France asked, concern lacing his voice. New England felt tears gather in his eyes, and he reached a shaky hand up to wipe them away. "Lad... can you explain what you mean?" Britain asked, praying that New England wasn't saying what he thought he was saying. "I-I'm sorry" New England whimpered, trying to calm himself down. At that moment, their food had arrived, and New England shoved a ham sandwich into his mouth to stop his quivering lip.

 **I hope this story isn't moving too slow for all y'all. I want you guys to be excited but I don't want this to move too quickly either... bye**


	4. And Decides

**Out of every story I've ever written, this is by far one of my favorites... in some sick, twisted way. Anyways, thanks for reading this, and we have the normal warnings of: Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing, and... inaccurate stuff? I've probably got something wrong here (Also, please ignore any grammar mistakes, I am not the best spellchecker...)**

New England ate his sandwich in silence, mentally noting the concerned and worried looks that Britain, France, and Canada all wore. The bread felt dry and the ham was uncomfortably large in his throat, and he forced himself to swallow the food so he didn't appear sick. A few other nations entered the room, and New England made a small list in his mind of who they were, if his memory was correct (Which it usually was). _China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea_ He thought, watching the Asian siblings all sit together and talk quietly (Except for South Korea, who was pretty loud). Britain followed his gaze, and narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight of the Asians," You aren't going to tell them before us, are you?" He asked, and New England blinked in surprise, before shaking his head rapidly," No, of course not! I was just watching dem, honest!" Britain nodded hesitantly, and New England almost sighed in relief. He finished his meal quietly, taking a sip from a cup of tea he had ordered. He waited for the nations to finish eating, as he didn't want them to loose their appetites. Britain was the last to finish, unsurprisingly, and he wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking. "So, lad, are you going to tell us where Alfred is?" He asked, and New England swallowed slightly out of nervousness.

"W-well, you see, food is a very sensitive subject for him" He began, trying to think of how to word this. He wanted to tell them everything, but he didn't want to come off as blunt and insensitive," He loves, er, loved McDonalds, Burger King, White Castle, Wendy's, any burger chain you know, he probably adored it. A few years ago, he was formally diagnosed wit Binge Eatin' Disorder" Britain tried to stop a small grin from creeping onto his face, but he couldn't. "T-terribly sorry Timothy, but, imaging Alfred's reaction to having such a common disorder must have been hilarious" New England nodded, smiling slightly," Yeah, it was. Dat's not what I'm talkin' about, unfortunately. About a year ago, Alfred went on a diet, to loose weight. Tree or four monts after dat, he was formally diagnosed with Anorexia" New England explained, and Britain's grin fell from his face. France had stopped picking at his nails, and Canada had a sick look on his face. New England felt pressured to continue speaking, so he lapsed into a stutter, not noticing the watchful eye of a certain Korean a few tables away from him.

"And that marks month two of my diet!" America cheered, his siblings around him whooping and hollering in encouragement. "And not a single cheat-day, I sure am proud o' you, 'Merica" Louisiana Territory said, slapping Alfred on the back. "Me too, dude, trust me. I've lost like sixteen pounds! The flab from my stomach should be gone now!" Florida nodded happily," Oh estoy moy contenta! You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you about the terrible muffin top you've had for so long, but now you've figured it out for yourself!" That comment earned her a few pointed looks, but America let out a loud laugh," Yeah dude, I'm just happy that it's gone! Now the others can't make fun of me, I look like a real hero again, and I've proved myself to have a will of steel to get through that diet!" "I second that statement!" Oregon joked, and the family let out a loud laugh. "Hey, bro, don't you have a meetin' tomorrow?" New England asked, interrupting the celebration. "Oh yeah, I do. Thanks for reminding me dude! I still got to get to Brussels, don't I?" America said, keeping a smile on his face. "I'll miss you guys, but this is one is only for two days, don't worry! Maybe I'll get Belgium or Ned to show me around to a few shops so I can bring back souvenirs!" The territories all had excited looks on their faces (Except for New England and Santa Fe, both of whom looked pretty neutral). "I'll be back before you know it, don't worry!" America laughed as Red River and Oregon wrapped his arms around his now thin waist.

New England fiddled with his thumbs, trying to calm himself down. He hadn't stuttered in years, but then again, he hadn't been so stressed and pressured in years, and Britain's accent was bringing back some pretty bad memories that he'd rather forget. "Are you ok, Timothy?" Canada asked quietly, and New England nodded slightly," Y-yeah I j-just need to-just need to c-ca-ca-calm down" He reassured them, but they didn't look the least bit convinced. After a few minutes, New England took a deep breath through his nose, and continued to speak. "The Anorexia by itself was a challenge to recover from, and we could never figure out what had driven him to starve himself. We took him to terapy an' everyting, but it din't work. One mont ago I found him making himself sick in da batroom, trowing up a bit of food I forced him ta eat da day before" Britain nodded, a solemn expression replacing his concern, and France twirled his hair nervously while Canada waited nervously for New England to finish explaining. "He was never officially diagnosed wit Bulimia, but we knew da signs and had a... knowledgeable person wit us to tell us all about it" He continued, wondering if he should tell them which hospital America was in. "Lad, er, Timothy, can you tell us where Alfred is staying?" Britain asked, hands folded neatly on the table. New England hesitated to respond, but Britain spoke again. " _Please,_ Timothy, I'm begging you. I haven't been there for him and I want to be there for him now" The Englishman pleaded, and New England wanted to snap at him. Britain had never been there America, he just said it himself! Why should he tell Britain where America was? It sounded like he was just going to criticize him on how poorly he failed to recognize the signs of his eating disorder. But, upon seeing the desperation in the elder's eyes, New England swallowed the hateful words," O-of course... He's at Lenox, please, be gentle wit him" New England said, his voice pleading and sorrowful, but his eyes held a threatening aura to them, as if he was _demanding_ they be gentle and kind. Britain had tears welling up in his eyes, and he nodded stiffly before leaving, followed by France, and Canada.

Korea listened closely to America's replacement while eating a lunch he had packed for himself, trying to look as if he were paying attention to China's story. "He was never officially diagnosed wit Bulimia, but we knew da signs and had a... knowledgeable person wit us to tell us all about it" New England continued, looking a bit stressed out. "And then I- Yong Soo, are you listening!?" China snapped, and the Korean jumped slightly," Hm, oh, of course, aniki! Why wouldn't I? Your stories are always so interesting!" He lied smoothly, keeping a bright smile on his face. China rolled his eyes, but continued with the story," Then Macedonia had the nerve to walk up to me and say..." Korea tuned out his brother to listen to New England, but realized he had fallen silent. Britain stood and pushed his chair into the table, then turned to leave. Korea could see a guilty look on his face, as well as a few tears in his eyes. France left soon after Britain, grief-stricken and remorseful. Canada lingered for a moment, but left as well, his head bowed. _Where is America, though?_ Korea thought to himself, wondering if he could get the location out of the replacement, or one of America's siblings. _Bulimia is an eating disorder... a **bad** eating disorder... Though, I don't think any eating disorders can be considered good. _The other Asian's noticed Korea's dazed and thoughtful look, and began to watch him curiously. He blinked out of his trance, and noticed his siblings staring at him," Hey guys, what's up? Do I have kimchi on my face? Oh well, messy eating is easy to clean!" Korea laughed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

America sighed in contentment as he lay on the hotel bed, glad he was sharing a room with someone he got along with. Korea had pulled out a 3-DS and began to play Pokemon, muttering to himself that he created the game and _not_ Japan, and America snickered slightly. "What do you have against Japan, dude?" America asked, and Korea groaned. "He's.. well, Japan! He's emotionless, and dull, and heartless, and cold, and completely undeserving of Aniki's attention!" Korea pouted, upset that he lost a battle. America rolled his eyes, sitting up," Are you still obsessing over China?" "it isn't an obsession! I just want him to pay attention to me." Korea replied simply. America shrugged, going to the mini-fridge and grabbing a can of Coke. Korea looked over to his younger friend, and eyed him through his bomber jacket, t-shirt and jeans. "Did you loose weight, jjingjjing-i?" America nodded happily," Of course I did, I'm glad you noticed! Also, I thought jjingjjing-i* was referring to a girl who whines" America pouted, making Korea snicker "Would you rather I call you Migug?" Korea asked jokingly, and America shrugged his shoulders," Might be better than 'girl who whines', dude" Korea laughed loudly, making America smile and laugh with him. "And of course I noticed, my best friend looks thinner and happier, it only means one thing!" Korea commented, and America grinned widely," Ah, thanks bud! You know, I feel like giving you a nickname too. I'll call you Kimchi*!" Korea laughed, accepting the nickname. "We better get going dude, before China and Iggy rip both of us apart" 

Korea and America arrived at the meeting together, America on time once again, and Korea showing up with a friend for once. The meeting ran smooth enough for the first half, everyone had managed to get through everyone's speeches up to Belgium before lunch break (With a record low of three fights between Britain and France, and five fights between Turkey and Greece. Denmark and Sweden had managed to keep peace for the meeting). Lunch break is when everything went into a downward spiral for America, right after Korea went to go bother China and insult Japan. "Ohonhon, Amerique, 'as your diet been doing well for you?" France asked, hurrying to walk beside the American. "Mmhmm, it's been great dude! The pudge isn't even there anymore, I feel like I could take on the universe with one hand tied behind my back and both legs amputated while intoxicated!" America cheered, fist-pumping. "That's wonderful, Al" Canada said, Britain humming in agreement. "Why don't we go out to eat, I'm sure it's been a while for you, and I've heard Belgium has wonderful chips" Britain suggested, and America nodded. "Of course dude, I'll get us all some _fries_ " He put emphasis on the last word," And meet you guys back here!" Before getting approval, America dashed out of the building and into his car, heading for the nearest McDonalds. 

He stopped the car and walked in, looking around. The American saw Cuba and the Philippines talking in line, and Cuba looked back to see America. He whispered into Philippines ear, then turned his back to America. America ordered a Big Mac, and three orders of large fries, and four large drinks. While America was filling a cup up with Sprite (At the request of Canada via text), Cuba took the opportunity to insult him. "Jeeze Alfred, have you gained weight? I don't think I've ever seen someone with so many chins on one neck!" He laughed, and Philippines smiled slightly, holding back a small giggle. America ignored them for the most part, but allowed Cuba to hurl insult after insult at him. Once America had all four cups filled and put into the cup-tray, he turned around to leave. "Damn, look at that muffin top!" Cuba jeered, and America swallowed back a retort, choosing instead to hurry out of the establishment. He didn't care to listen to Philippine's scolding tone to the Cuban man as she saw how upset America was, nor did he stick around to allow the heavy-set man apologize. He simply pulled out of the parking lot and drove back to the meeting building, setting his burger to the side. He really only felt like eating fries that day.

Korea was intent on listening to Britain, hoping he'd slip a bit of information. However, his efforts were in vain as Britain had not spoken once, and had passed on giving a speech, preferring to take notes in a notebook with a unicorn on it. That didn't stop Korea though, he wasn't one of the smartest nations for nothing, after all. He stayed after the meeting, pretending that he had dropped a DS cartridge under the table and that he needed to find it. He waited a few minutes, before hearing the hushed voices of Britain and France, Canada somewhere in the mix. "Should we go visit him today?" Britain asked quietly, and Korea heard shuffling from a few feet away. "I don't know, Angleterre. From zhe sound of New England's voice, America does not wish to see visitors at zhe moment" "But he's my- our brother! We have the right to see him!" Canada whined in an audible voice. "I'm sorry, lad" Britain sighed, probably forgetting Canada's name. _jerk_ Korea thought silently. "Lenox is just too far of a drive at the moment. We'll see America after tomorrow's meeting, alright? Our bosses won't mind the extended visit" Korea took great interest upon hearing the location name, mentally storing it for later. Canada whined in defeat, but the trio shared a few hushed words, before leaving Korea alone. He crept out from under the table, and grabbed his phone from his pocket. _Lenox **Lenox Hospital**_ The URL Bar auto-filled, making Korea smile. That had been easy; What would be hard is explaining to people why he wanted to stay for a bit longer. Maybe he could lie about playing games with America. Yeah, that would probably convince them. For now, Korea was focusing on getting directions to Lenox Hospital.

 **Jjingjjing-i: A cute term for a girl who whines (A Korean term for a girlfriend, however, America does not know that)**

 **Kimchi: It's common for people in the United States to nickname a close friend/intimate partner after a food**

 **That was a fast update, huh? Oh well, see you guys next time, bye!**


	5. They're Never

**"Very good however the underlining is a little troublesome to read, perhaps italicize?" can't please everyone, am I right? I'd try Italicizing but that's what I use for thinking, and bolding it would probably be just as troublesome to find... I'm sure I'll have something figured out by the time this is posted. If not, then I'll give Italicizing a try. Thanks for all the support guys, and I have all the usual warnings of: Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing, and (probably) incorrect grammar/spelling, and I'm adding on another warning for this chapter (And maybe other chapters to come, who knows) of self harm/depression. That being said, I present this chapter... (Also, notes at the end of the chapter, in case you want to read those)**

 **Reality**

 ** _Flashbacks_**

* * *

Korea wondered exactly how he was going to visit America. Now that he thought about it, he had never been to an American hospital, and he was sure they were at least a little different from hospitals back home in Daejeon. He rubbed his eyes with is hands, sighing, before opening his car door and stepping out, taking his keys with him. He had his drivers license in case they required an ID of some kind, but other then that he had maybe $20 in his wallet, and a phone in his left jeans pocket. _Thank_ _신_ _I decided to leave my Hanbok in my hotel room_ Korea thought as he walked up the Hospital entrance, passing a few teenagers, a father with a young boy, a pregnant woman and her partner, and a man entering alone. He decided to focus on the man, as he didn't seem to be leaving, and was actually entering the Hospital as well. Korea walked up the front desk with the man, and listened to him silently. "I'd like to visit my daughter, Abigail Harlen" The man said quietly, and he was given a room number. Korea, filled with a new-found confidence, turned to one of the people helping at the desk. "Hello, I'm here to visit a friend" He said, and the person eyed him up and down. "...Name, first and last" They said after a few moments of judging his casual attire. "Alfred Jones" Korea said confidently, and they typed something into the computer, most likely looking up America's room. "Room 342, be quiet, he might be sleeping" They said, looking bored. Korea nodded, and began to wonder exactly _where_ room 342 might be.

* * *

 _Korea sat on a rather clean couch, leaning back and relaxed. The room was surprisingly clean, considering who his host was, except for the pile of chip bags and bowls of pretzels and sunflower seeds sitting on the coffee table. Apollo, a Golden Retriever with an American flag bandanna wrapped around their neck, slept at the Korean's feet, and Korea had brought his own dog, a Korean Jindo named Dae-Dong, which meant 'The Great East'. It was a bitch getting Dae-Dong through customs, but Korea had managed it... somehow. Right now, Korea was waiting for his best (And quite possibly only) friend, America, to get out of the bathroom so they could play games together. The sink had been running for a while, making Korea wonder if America had drowned or something, but at that exact second the water stopped flowing, the toilet flushed, and America came walking into the room, wiping his mouth with his arm. "Sorry for the wait, dude! That took way longer than expected!" "It sure did, I was afraid you had drowned or gotten sick or something!" Surprise flashed in America's cornflower blue eyes, before they returned to their normal childish sparkle," Wow dude, you sure are a hypochondriac! What next, you afraid I'll pass out or something?" America asked, and Korea pouted. "It was a legitimate concern! Your Economy is so far down the crapper that I was worried you were.. you know... collapsing"_

 _America sighed, dropping his smile for a moment, before nodding," Yeah, yeah, I see what you mean, but why don't we ignore that for once and nail each other by playing FIFA?" Korea nodded, grabbing a PS4 control while the younger American set up his gaming console. "You know, Jjingjing-i" Korea said, interrupting Silence in their thrilling speech," You look like you've lost more weight, but it must be that form-fitting shirt your wearing, right?" He asked, and America shrugged. "I might have lost a few more pounds" He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Aiyaah!" Korea shouted, and America giggled," You sound like China" Korea glared jokingly," Respect your elders, jjingjjing-i. Also, you don't need to loose anymore weight! Most of your weight is muscle, your fine!" Korea whined, and America rolled his eyes. "Whatever dude, I just haven't been eating as much. I've replaced my McMuffin and hashbrown in the morning with a PB &J sandwich, so I'm gonna loose a bit of weight" He said, plopping down next to his Korean friend. "Whatever" Korea huffed, and America smirked. "Y'know, you can tell me if you think I'm hot, Kimchi" He offered, winking. Korea felt a blush envelope his face, and he shook his head no," N-no, why would I do that!? We're just friends, da-ze!" He shrieked, and America laughed loudly," Whatever dude!"_

* * *

Korea knocked on the door, and heard a familiar voice say," Come in" hoarsely. Korea opened the door, and the sight was almost enough to make him cry. America was lying in a hospital bed, a book in his hands. "Kimchi, dude, what's up!" He greeted, smiling. America's arms were toothpick thin, and his knuckles jutted out of his skin. His gown hung loosely off his shoulders, and Korea could see his collarbone and the top of his ribcage sticking out of his chest. The worst thing, to Korea, was America's face. His cheekbones, which had already been defined before his starvation, were one of the most prominent things on his face, as the skin of his cheeks had looked as if they were being sucked in, and his nose had been flattened against his face; America's eyes bugged out of his skull, and the dimples on his face that had once been pretty cute were now incredibly deep and stretched from his nostrils to his chin. "New England brought me a few books the other day and I've just about finished reading the first one and- hey dude, are you okay?" America asked, his eyebrows creasing his forehead. Korea nodded, wiping the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm fine" He said, hating his voice for cracking slightly. America frowned, before patting the side of his bed. Korea sighed, closing the door quietly and pulling up a chair, sitting down. "So, what's wrong?" America asked, and Korea shrugged," Just... seeing you like this, it hurts me..." America sighed, shrugging," Yeah, I know, I've let myself go... I mean, I always see what everyone else 'sees' but I _know_ everything is there... When I grab my arms, the flab almost piles into my fingers. When I reach at my back, I feel the excess skin piling into my palm. When I see my stomach... I...I" Korea nodded, placing a comforting hand on America's thinner, colder hand.

"It's fine, jjingjjing-i" Korea said, rubbing a thumb over the oily and rough surface of the younger's knuckles. America nodded, leaning into his pillow. "So... you been enjoying yourself here?" Korea asked, trying to keep America's mind off his current situation. America scoffed," As if, the nurses are always so quiet and professional, never making small talk while they ask me if I'm in pain or anything. The doctors are no better either; they'll always come in, check my IV and look at my liquid nutrients, before writing something down, nodding to me, and leaving. Complete waste of money to come here, if you ask me" He said, rolling his eyes. Korea nodded, a small smile making its way onto his face," Yeah, and the people up front are so lazy! The person I talked to was soooo impolite, Aniki would have had her head on a silver platter- no, not even on a paper plate because that's how rude she was!" Korea nearly shouted, and America grinned, before laughing. "Ah thanks dude, I needed that!" America said between chuckles, and Korea smiled," Any time, jjingjjjing-i" He promised, and America nodded," Yeah, any time I want a laugh, I can go to you!" He said, smiling.

* * *

 _Korea was asleep on the couch, his feet hanging off the arm rests as his head lay on the other, snoring contently. China frowned, displeased with the way Korea insisted on messing up his hanbok and jeogori while performing the simplest of tasks. "Wake up, aru!" The older nation snapped, slapping Korea on the head. "Owww! Aniki, why'd you do that!?" Korea whined, and China's frown deepened," America is coming over, remember? Or did you leave that note on your bedroom door for nothing?!" China huffed, arms folded. Korea pouted, making his bottom lip tremble slightly," That hurt, Aniki" He whimpered, and China rolled his eyes," I don't care, you a big boy now! Now get ready, or I tell America he have to stay in hotel because you cancelled!" Korea sat up, huffing, before staring at his crooked clothing._ I suppose I'll have to change into something more presentable... _Korea thought, pouting, before standing and going to his room to change into a comfortable outfit of a t-shirt, jeans, and leather jacket. Not long after Korea buttoned up his pants did someone knock on his door, and Korea practically flew down the stairs and flung his front door open. "Jjingjjing-i! Come in come in!" Korea shouted, excited. "Thanks dude, I brought a few games that were just made from my place that I thought we could play together!" "Oooooo like what!?" Korea asked, and America pulled out a game disc, grinning evilly," let's start with The Inpatient"_

 _Hours later, Korea and America were trembling on the couch in the dark, tears running down America's face. "Well it's time for bed" Korea said shakily, and America nodded," Y-yeah, Imma go get changed dude" Korea nodded, following him down the hall. America basically had his own room next to Korea's, and both men went into their respective rooms. Korea stripped to his undergarments, looking for his pajamas. He found his BTS t-shirt, but not his sweatpants. "Maybe I just wont wear them tonight" He sighed, not having the energy to look for them. The horror games had taken a lot out of him, and he just wanted to sleep, despite the risk of nightmares. While he was sitting on his bed and staring into nothing, his door opened and a blond head poked inside," H-hey, Yong Soo. No Homo or anything, but I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight" Korea jumped out of his daze, staring at the American. He only used Korea's name if he was really upset, and Korea nodded without hesitation. "Of course Alfred, it's what friends do" He said, allowing the American to slide under the covers next to him. "Good night" Korea yawned, turning off his bedside lamp. "Good night" America mumbled, wrapping his arms around Korea's waist," Oh, and one more thing" He said, and Korea shifted to hear better. "I took your razors away. I'm not gonna let my friend continue to hurt himself" America said quietly, and that sentence made Korea lay awake, waiting for America's breath to even out. Hours after America fell asleep, Korea felt his eyelids droop over his eyes, and he a mumbled a," Thank you" before falling asleep._

* * *

Korea was leaning forward slightly as America told a story about Apollo getting in a fight with a garbage man, and he nodded. "When are they letting you out of here?" He asked, and America shrugged. "Dunno man, they said I was about forty or so pounds underweight, and I've gotta earn all that back apparently" Korea frowned, feeling tears well up in his eyes. How could he ignore the signs he had seen so many months ago!? He knew that America hung out with him the most since Pearl Harbor, and Canada rarely hung out with the American, preferring France or Britain, so Korea should have been looking out for his best friend! "Hey dude, don't cry" America said, reaching with a shaky hand to wipe Korea's tears away. "I-I feel terrible for not being able to see how far you were" Korea whimpered, and America shushed him. "I'm fine, it's fine" He reassured him, and Korea shook his head no. "No it isn't, I want to be able to help but I don't know how. I just wish you had told me how you were feeling so I could've prevented this-" "You don't know how hard it is to tell someone how you feel!" America interrupted, tears in his eyes as well," It doesn't matter who that person is; You are the last person who hangs out with me willingly and I didn't want to ruin that by burdening you with my personal problems" America hiccuped, and Korea pulled his hand away," I know how it feels to think that people wouldn't want to talk to you for being honest about how you feel, I know how hard it is, remember?" Korea tapped one of his arms, and America's expression saddened in realization.

"You helped me out of that, and I want you to let me help you through this" Korea whispered, standing up and wrapping his friend in a hug. America allowed his tears to fall onto Korea's shoulder, gripping his jacket weakly. Korea ran a hand through America's thin blond hair, allowing him to cry. "Please let me help you, jjingjjing-i" Korea pleaded, and America said nothing. After a few minutes of quiet crying and hiccuping, America relaxed in Korea's warm, and admittedly soft arms. "I'm sorry Yong Soo" He whimpered, falling asleep.

* * *

 **I felt really bad while writing that... is that good? Bad? In between? I suppose the saying is," No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader" so hopefully y'all felt something. Anyways, I've got some notes to put down here.**

 **1.) I have finally decided how to end this story. I know it's still early, but it's good to know, right?**

 **2.) After this (Or at least in a few more chapters) I'll be making a Korea-centered story, so keep an eye out for that (I'll probably say something about it later)**

 **3.) Which do you guys prefer: Underlining or Italicizing the flashbacks? If you guys don't tell me then I'll make a decision on my own! (Also I learned about the horizontal-line things so yay!)**

 **4.) I love you guys so so much. You all are beautiful and unique and I will always love you**


	6. Going To

**Hey there, it's me. I feel like I'm really rushing chapters, but I wanted to get one more chapter done before school. This will probably be uploaded on Monday, and I just wanted to get this out. It's probably a bit longer than other chapters, and I hope that's okay. I have the usual warnings of: Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing, and improper grammar/spelling.**

* * *

Britain sighed, wishing he could drink himself to a stupor, but he knew that was a bad idea in more ways than one. If he was home in London, he would have gone to the bar, with or without Wales or Northern Ireland to be a designated driver, and drink until he was seeing double. However, he was not in London; He was in New York City, sharing a hotel room with a man who might take advantage of him coming in drunk, plus he had a very important meeting tomorrow, _and_ he had to go see America. The last one was his most important reason, because Britain's hangovers tended to last a very long time, and he didn't want to snap at the poor lad as soon as he got to the hospital. To replace the numbing wash that alcohol could give him, Britain decided to buy a pack of cigarettes, and take up smoking again. "Again?" France asked, and Britain shrugged," Can't stop me, can you?" He replied, and the Frenchman sighed, moving to stand beside the Englishman in the alley," You know, Alfred would get on your ass for smoking, in his country none-zhe-less" France remarked, attempting to lighten the mood. "Yes, yes, Alfred does not like many of my habits, but Alfred isn't here now, is he?" Britain said dryly, and France folded his arms across his chest, leaning onto the cold wall," No need to be rude, I am simply trying to be a comedic relief" Britain rolled his eyes, taking a strong puff from the stick of nicotine and lung cancer. "Comedic relief is what got us in this mess, isn't it?" He asked, and France looked away for a few minutes. The duo was silent, until Britain dropped the remains of his cigarette on the concrete ground, stamping it out with his foot. "We should get back inside, we need to rest for tomorrow" Britain sighed, and France nodded in agreement. They made small talk for the short two minute walk to the hotel, the smell of smoke still fresh on Britain's breath.

"You came back finally" Came a quiet, almost unnoticeable voice. France turned his head to see his former colony, and little brother Canada. "Bonne nuit, Mathieu, me and Arzhur were just out talking" France lied, and Canada frowned slightly. "Don't lie to me, I know what Arthur was doing... I can smell it from here" Britain's face flushed in slight embarrassment, and he covered his mouth with his hand. "Canada, what do you want?" France sighed tiredly, and Canada shrugged," Dunno, I was just worried. You two weren't in your room and I was afraid you went and did something stupid..." Britain frowned, stepping beside his little brother, and placing a hand on his shoulder," We wouldn't do that to you now, would we?" He asked, and Canada looked uncertain. "The answer is no, but I understand why you worry. Honestly, I was worried I'd go out and get drunk, and I'm glad France came along before I made up my mind to do it" Canada nodded, before stepping away from Britain's hand. "C-can we all go to sleep now? It's nearly midnight" Canada said, and the two elder nations before him nodded. "Oui, our rooms are close, so we will see each ozher in zhe morning; and when zhe morning comes, we'll be able to zhink wizhout zhe 'elp of nicotine or alco'ol, oui?" Britain and Canada nodded, before calling an elevator.

* * *

 _America groaned, rolling onto his side. He stared at the darkness that covered his room, and he rubbed an eye tiredly. It had gotten colder the more the night progressed, and he was barely covered by a blanket or comforter. His pillow seemed to have gotten harder, and he couldn't seem to get comfortable. "Dammit" He croaked, reaching tiredly for his glasses. His tongue and lips felt dry, he needed a glass of water before he could ever fall back asleep. He finally put his glasses on, and sat up in his bed. America usually preferred to wear close to nothing when he slept, usually settling for a pair of briefs, or a tank-top and running shorts, but found himself wearing sweatpants and t-shirts more often now. "Alright, to the kitchen. Go, legs" He said hoarsely, his voice gravelly from lack of use. America couldn't see much in the darkness of the night, and he ran a hand along the wall to feel for corners and turns. Before he knew it, he had the lights turned on, and was getting a cup of water in a Captain America cup. "This isn't the kitchen, but it'll do" The blond sighed, taking a gulp of the cool, clear liquid, a bit of it dribbling down his chin. He wiped his mouth, and stared at himself in the mirror. The bathroom, of course, was where he ended up, dirty clothes strung on the floor, and towels lying in a pile on top of a cabinet. America was drawn to his reflection, to say the very least. He saw that his cheekbones were slightly more prominent, and his eyes stuck out a bit, but he never minded; he found those attributes to be attractive, and he did not care for his face one bit. The American proceeded to lift up his shirt, and eyed his torso strictly in the mirror. His pecs were still slightly flabby, and his gut_ _ **still**_ _hung over the waist-band of his pants._

 _America frowned, dropping his shirt. His legs, they were fine; Smooth skin covering hard bone, and tan enough to look like he exercised a lot (Which he did). His arms were lithe and muscular, perfect for bearing the burdens of a superpower. The American pulled off his shirt and turned around, looking over his shoulder to see his back. It... wasn't as bad as the front, but it was still bad. The skin between his shoulder blades would bunch up into a small pile if he reached behind himself, and you could barely see the trail of his spine beneath all the fat. America's bottom lip quivered slightly, but forced himself to remain silent. He was America, the great US of A, and he_ _ **would not cry**_ _over something as small as his weight problems. America bit his lip, and pulled his t-shirt back on to cover the fat of his body. "Time to go to sleep buddy" America told himself, flicking the lights off, and nearly running into a wall before adjusting to the dark._

* * *

Britain felt like slamming his head down the table, but he knew doing that would only attract unwanted attention to himself. They had reached the end of the meeting, and final words were something that were always exchanged at the end. Usually it was "The next meeting is on this day in this country" or "It's someone's birthday and we should sing", but today was different. China had begun to speak, hoping to get some of the information on America's debt to him, as he was ever persistent on getting his money. New England looked incredibly uncomfortable as China began to list all the ways America could start paying him little by little, hoping that the American representative would accept a method. "W-well den, Mr. China, dose sure are some wicked idea-ers, I'll bring dem up wit America" New England said uncertainly, and China frowned, pouting in a child-like manner," But you _are_ America aru! At least, for today you are!" "And dat's why I should tell America, because I'm not in a position ta make dese long term decisions" China looked as if he wanted to argue, but New England cut him off," Tanks for respecting my choices, is dat all for today?" He asked Germany, who had taken over as host since America was not there to run everything. Germany nodded," Zhe next meeting is in London, zhe United Kingdom. Also, Greece vas very generous in inviting us to spend a day undisturbed on his coast, I shall hope to see jou all zhere! Dismissed!" Everyone sighed in relief, before rushing out of the room. The only ones left were Italy (Surprisingly), Germany, Japan, Britain, France, Canada, and New England. "If Greece is inviting us down to his beaches it must mean he wants money from us" Britain chuckled, and France nodded in agreement," Oui, 'e 'as always found a way to scam us out of a quick buck, or twenty"

Canada, Britain, and France all gave hearty laughs, walking out of the conference room. New England hurried after them, hoping to talk to them; well, one of them in particular. "E-excuse me, Mr. Canada" New England said, feeling nervous. Dear God, he hoped Canada wouldn't take this the wrong way. "Yeah, ya need something, New England?" The mentioned nation asked, and New England pulled on his collar uncomfortably. "I-I was wondering if I could s-see y-you w-without-without a shirt on" The trio of countries was silent for a moment, before Canada let out a confused," EH!?". France was laughing, leaning over, but had a slight protective glint in his eye. Britain's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, stunned. "I-I just wanted to see what America was so obsessed about! H-He'd always come back from a beach party, comparing himself to Germany, or Scotland, or Greece, but a lot of the time, he compared his body to yours, Canada, and I wanted to see what he was going for..." New England explained quickly, his eyes filled with nervousness. Canada was silent for a minute or two, before pulling New England into a bathroom, and lifting his shirt over his head.

* * *

 _America was doing sit-ups on his bedroom floor, grunting as his stomach growled loudly. "Jeeze dude, I just woke up!" He laughed, placing a hand on his gut. Ah yes, the familiar pudge was still there. America now weighed around 143 pounds, about 64 kilograms. America had always eaten when he was bored, but since he couldn't do that anymore, he spent his time learning conversions; miles to kilometers, pounds to kilograms, inches to centimeters, etc. He thought it was a great way to pass time, but it would never beat exercising. There was something... thrilling about jogging down the street, turning into the park and passing other joggers who couldn't go as fast for as long he ran. It was empowering to feel a weight in his hands, to feel himself push his endurance and collapse on numb legs. It was perfect, the way he felt his stomach churn and sting as it was emptied quicker; he loved the way his arms quivered in exhaustion as he performed too many pushups, and the way his lungs burned in lack of oxygen. He'd never admit it, but the pain made him feel strong, it made him feel invincible. "Alfred, yuh have a party ta host!" came the Southern Drawl that could only belong to Louisiana Territory. "Fiiiine!" America whined, stopping his morning routine so he could eat something. Of course, there was a difference between the pain of exercise, and the pain of hunger; Hunger stabbed him, basically killed him, exercise was just that, exercise. "Alright! Thanks for letting me use Alabama for today!" America called, standing shakily. "You having a bagel for breakfast?" Florida asked as America stumbled into the kitchen, and he nodded. "Thanks Flor" He yawned, and Florida nodded," No problem, honestly you should eat more, but it's a beach party, so there's probably a lot more food there for ya" America nodded, and flopped into a wooden chair at the table._

 _America looked around the beach of Alabama, grinning as he saw the nations all enjoying themselves. It was a warm summer day, and America wore a tank-top and shorts, leaning on a beach towel next to a cooler full of sodas and fruit juices. He eyed an auburn-haired Scotsman walking by, talking loudly to the Frenchman next to him, and America found himself admiring Scotland's body. He had a broad chest and rather large biceps, triceps, quads, and calves, his stomach firm. Scotland caught him staring, winked at him jokingly, and had France laughing at a joke a few seconds later. The American turned away, a slight blush dusting his cheeks, before settling his gaze on Germany. Germany was absolutely **jacked**. His arms bulged with large muscles, as did his legs. His back displayed fluid muscle working hard at teaching Italy how to swim, and the guy had better abs than America's hottest models! America looked away, deciding that a muscular physique was too much to hope for right now. His eyes roved across the nation-filled beach of Alabama, and he nearly groaned in annoyance. Every country was either shorter than him or muscular, and he knew he couldn't hope at being either of those! Finally, he found someone who was the same height as him, and had a perfect body type. Canada wasn't scrawny, not at all, but he wasn't as well-built as Russia, or Germany, or England's older brothers (Minus Wales). Canada had smooth skin, but was thin enough to display a collarbone without trying, and his shoulder blades stuck out ever-so-slightly, which made him look beautiful in America's eyes._

 _America could go on for days on describing the ways his Northern neighbor and twin was perfect in every shape of his body, but he focused on the torso. America wanted to show his collarbone, and wanted to have his shoulders show from his back. He wanted his spine to leave the tiniest bit of a ridge on his back, and he figured he wouldn't even mind having his hip bones stick out a bit. That was it, that was America's goal. He mentally stored a picture of Canada in swim-shorts, hoping he could compare himself to it later, when he wouldn't be mistaken for being a pervert._

* * *

Britain was the one driving the car, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel on beat with the song on the radio. France was listening to an audio book on his phone, and Canada was playing Plague Inc. next to New England. New England sat beside Canada in the back of the car, staring out of the window. He had visited America many times, but he would never get used to seeing him so frail, so sickly and insane looking. He wondered how the FCE of the 'FACE Family', as Alaska had named them, would take the sight of America in a hospital bed, multiple tubes sticking out of his arms, breathing slowly as if it hurt, and trying to laugh as if everything were fine- New England nearly slapped himself to stop these thoughts, but realized he had no time to compose himself, as they had pulled into hospital parking lot. It took a few minutes, but they were able to convince the front desk that America was well enough to see all four of them at once. They took an elevator up, and a young man, around fourteen or fifteen, came into the elevator. He had dark brown skin, and frizzy black hair in a ponytail, as well as blue eyes. "Good evenin' Louisiana" New England greeted, and the new kid nodded to him. "Are these the countries that 'Mericuh's been talkin' 'bout?" he asked, and New England nodded. "Yep, dis is Britain, France, an' Canada" Louisiana nodded, a tired look in his eyes. They all exited the elevator together, and the two territories took the lead as they talked lowly on the walk to America's hospital room. They knocked on the door and opened it quickly, Louisiana jumping into a tackle-hug.

"Oof! Jeeze Pierre, you need to lighten up on the ribs, you're gonna break mine" America joked, wrapping a thin arm around the Southerner. "Hush you, I left Floriduh in charge so I could visit ya, I'm not movin' 'till I have to" Louisiana mumbled, and America rolled his eyes. "We got more visitors" New England said as Britain, France, and Canada walked silently into the room. "Sup dudes!" America said, attempting to use his 'Hero Voice' but his weak lungs didn't like that, and forced a coughing fit to erupt from his throat. "Bloody hell Alfred!" Britain exclaimed, rushing over before realizing he couldn't do anything to help. "It's-it's fine g-guys" America choked out between coughs, and everyone wore a disbelieving look. "Alfred, would you like for big brozher to tell you a story?" France asked, and America shook his head no. "Timothy's been bringing me books from his home for me to read" He said contentedly, and France took a glance at the stack of books by Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Susan Collins. "What about an electronic of some kind?" Britain asked, and America shook his head no," Timothy brought me a DS" "Can we do _anything_ to help you?" Canada asked in a voice that was loud for him. "Nope, sorry dudes" America said, before thinking. "Well... you can always stay and talk to me..? Timothy and Pierre are doing all my paper work for me while I'm here, so... can you stay and talk to me?"

Britain rolled his eyes, but sighed," Wales is rather good at turning paperwork in on time, I can have him do my work for a little while" America smiled brightly, before looking to France and Canada. "I.. can have New France do my work for me, I suppose" Canada sighed, and France pouted," I can not stay for very long, but I will try to video-chat everyday" He said unhappily, and America nodded quickly," That's good! Now, have I missed anything important from the meeting?" He asked, and Britain was about to tell him about China, but New England cut him off quickly," No, you din't miss anyting"

* * *

 **I got a few notes (Again).**

 **1.) In two days, I will be starting my school year, so updates will not be very frequent, maybe one or two times a month at the most**

 **2.) More likely than not, the next few chapters to come will be shorter than the others because of my schedule**

 **4.) I skipped number 3**

 **5.) You're thinking I'm very unoriginal**

 **6.) I love y'all, see you later!**


	7. Eat again

**Its-a me! So, school is going okay for now, which means I can write for about an hour or so after I get home! Sounds like a good deal, eh? Anyways, here are the usual warnings of Anorexia/Bulimia, Cursing, and improper spelling/grammar**

* * *

"Are we staying in Alfred's home?" Canada asked, and Britain shrugged," He probably wouldn't mind if we did. Besides, it means we can bring him things that remind of home when we visit" "Zhat is true, but aren't Pierre et Timozy staying at Alfred's 'ome?" France asked, turning to the teenage boys who had been walking a few feet behind them, conversing in a whisper. "Hm? What do ya need?" New England asked, glancing away from Louisiana Territory's phone screen. "We were wondering if we could stay at Alfred's place for a little while" Britain said simply, and New England shrugged," Sure, just don't make a mess, or hurt Apollo" "Wonderful, it's greatly appreciated" Britain thanked, before he and France turned back to the parking lot. "It's quite a drive to America's 'ome, oui?" France asked, and Canada nodded," A good thirty minutes, without the usual New York traffic" Louisiana Territory waved his hand dismissively,"Ya just gotta know how ta weave" He yawned, and New England nodded," Mmhmm, not dat hard to understand, harder to master. I don't tink dey weave in London or anywhere in Ontario dough... Paris is just about tryin' ta stay alive on da road" He mused aloud, and France gave an offended look," Anyways, me and Pierre are carpoolin' back to da house, you guys just follow us" New England called over his shoulder, forcing the southerner to turn off his phone as he climbed into the passenger side of the car. Britain climbed into the driver seat, France the passenger seat, and Canada in the back, thankful for the free space beside him. "Better get comfortable, this could take a good hour or two" Britain advised, and the other two nations nodded. France adjusted his car seat as Britain pulled out of the parking lot, and Canada moved himself so he was lying sideways, deciding to screw the road laws before he fell asleep.

* * *

 _America looked behind him to see his back, smiling slightly. "Well done, me" He congratulated himself, eyeing the ridge on his body like a prized pup at a dog show. He ran a hand over his spine, admiring the mountain range he affectionately named the Rocky Mountains, getting nothing short of mental praise of his accomplishment," Time to see the numbers" He said happily, stepping onto the scale. **147.53** the scale flashed, and America's smile dimmed slightly," Only five pounds... really? I think we can do better" He told himself, stepping off. It had been about three weeks since the beach party, and he was happy to say he was looking more like his Northern brother every week. After four days he could feel his collarbone through his skin easily, and his bottom two ribs left a slight imprint on his skin. "I know I haven't used this phrase in a while, but... This is absolutely the bee's-knees" He chirped, tracing his collarbone with a finger gently. The territories had all accepted that exercise was a permanent thing in his routine, and Florida had even said that America should try going out for marathons, since he ran a mile or two already everyday. "Al! Lunch is ready!" New England shouted up the stairs, and America slipped on a tank-top before rushing down the stairs two-steps at a time," What is it today?" He asked, sliding to a halt on the cold tile floor of the kitchen. "Red River made a lovely plate of grilled cheese and potato chips, c'mon and eat!" Oregon said, holding out a plate with two sandwiches and a hand-full of potato chips on it. "Er... how about something a little less? That's a bit much, don't you think?"_

 _Oregon looked over to Louisiana Territory, eyes wide in surprise, but the elder sibling nodded, and Oregon sighed. "Yeah, sure, gimme a moment" Oregon called over his shoulder, giving the plate to a hungry looking Sante Fe de Nueva Mexico. "Don't look so depressed guys! You act like me going on a diet is a bad thing!" America laughed, hands on his hips. Louisiana pursed his lips together, but said nothing as he took a bite out of a sandwich. An awkward silence fell over the room as America had two sandwiches and two cherry tomatoes, everyone else commenting on how well Red River made the sandwiches while America forced himself not to think of all the calories he was consuming. **That's about 4 calories for the tomatoes, which is okay, but 71 calories per sandwich is too much for one meal- oh hush you're overreacting. If it's really too much for you then eat one sandwich and be done with it**. America finished his lunch a few minutes after everyone else, dumping his left-over sandwich in the trash can, before walking into the living room to see a circle of Territories with ranging expressions of seriousness on their faces. "Hahah, this looks like an intervention or a therapy circle or something! What's up guys?" America asked, his skinny arms folded over his chest. "Sit down, Alfred... please" Oregon ordered, and America hesitated, but took a seat between Louisiana and New England. "How much did you say you weighed?" New England asked, looking up at America with worry in his eyes. "Oh around 147 pounds, nothing too much" America answered casually, leaning back into the couch. "America, that isn't good" Louisiana commented, typing something into his laptop._

 _"What's that supposed to mean? You saying I'm still overweight?" America asked, worry building up in his chest. "N-no, Alfred! That's not what I'm sayin' at all! I'm tryin' to say yer underweight!" Louisiana said quickly, turning slightly to face his older brother," I'm 163 pounds and I'm only 17 or somethin' like that!" "But that's because you've got muscle dude! Of course your heavier than me" America reasoned, confused. "But yer taller than me, older than me, AND stronger than me! That should me you weigh more than me, shouldn't it!?" Louisiana cried, and America raised his hands in surrender," Whoa, calm down dude! What's got you so worked up Timmy?" Louisiana gave America a sad look, before turning his laptop screen towards the taller male. "We're concerned about you, Al" Florida explained," You've been loosing a lot of weight. We understood earlier, because you were overweight, but now you're just so... skinny. You're beginning to look like that Canada-guy in those pictures in your room" "Really? Sweet, that's what I was going for- Why were you in my room?" America asked curiously, and Florida shook her head," Unimportant. We just need to know if you plan on loosing anymore weight" She said, and America shrugged," Not really. I mean, I plan to keep up the exercise and stuff like that, so loosing weight is just a side effect, but y'know that's what happens" "Look" Louisiana mumbled, tugging on America's arm. "What's up Timmy?" America asked, only for Louisiana to repeat himself in a louder voice," Just look!" America looked at the computer screen and almost threw up. Those people were **skinny,** and not the good kind of skinny; They were "We look like we just got out of a POW camp after months and need food desperately" skinny, making America want to cry. ,"W-what's the purpose of this?" He asked, struggling to keep his lunch down. "Promise us" Red River spoke finally," Promise us you'll never end up like that. Promise you won't starve yourself like they do" America nodded, seeing the distress in his younger siblings' faces," I promise dudes, I promise on my honor as a nation."_

* * *

Britain drove down the some-what "empty" streets of New York City, heading for the Bronx. He honestly didn't understand why America insisted on living in a place with such a bad reputation, but he supposed that America was just trying to keep up with the youth in his country, something Britain couldn't claim for himself. France had passed out fifteen minutes ago, Canada fell asleep almost as soon as he got comfortable. "Bloody prats, making me drive alone with no company..." Britain sighed, stopping at a stoplight. He turned to the radio, adjusting it before finding a Classic Rock station he enjoyed. _Hold my breath as I wish for dead, oh God please wake me~_ sang the radio, Britain tapping his fingers along to the bass guitar. "America would be screaming along to this song if he were here" He chuckled, waiting for the light to turn green. _If America were here..._ his brain repeated, and Britain shook his head," I can't think like that" He told himself sternly," He isn't here, but he's getting better, so there's no reason to get so depressed" _When did the fall out with America begin?_ His mind pondered, and Britain rolled his eyes," It's not my bloody fault he's like this! I've been a good brother, stop thinking like this" He barked, going quiet when France shifted in his sleep while mumbling something under his breath. _Were you really?_ Britain's traitorous mind queried, and the Englishman scowled," Of course I was! When wasn't I good brother?" He asked, driving forward as he heard car-horn from behind him.

 _Oh let's see... How about the time you called him fatass?_ "That was one time" Britain snapped, getting frustrated. _One time out of many. What were your exact words again? Oh yeah," **Hey fatass, you've been gorging yourself so much lately that I'm afraid your going to kill yourself!... You know, with heart disease or by choking** " Doesn't exactly sound like the best big brother, hm?_ "I was expressing concern for him! Nothing wrong with that" Britain reasoned with himself, not realizing he had been talking to a voice in his head for two minutes. _Really? Then how about the time you burnt his capital down in 1814? You sure had a field day with that, you even said," **Like recalling how I burnt your capital to the ground back in 1814** " and don't tell me you weren't smug with yourself. You even said," **Sometimes I picture you as the diabetic fat person you'll likely be in a couple years due to your strictly hamburger diet** " in the same day! _"It was a bad situation and he was getting on my nerves, piss off" Britain snapped, dread settling into his chest. _I could go on; How about the time you funded the Confederacy in the Civil War? Or maybe verbally attacking him because he didn't get involved in World War Krauts as soon as you all did? When are you going to admit you were a bad brother?_ "I was under a lot of stress and pressure. I had three brothers relying on me to keep them safe, not to mention the times I almost collapsed so I had a perfectly legitimate reason to be mad" The Briton huffed, his knuckles white due to his tight grip on the steering wheel. _What about the Colony years? Sure you were kind to America, but that was during the few years that you were_ ** _there with America_** _. I bet that made him feel lonely, I bet he thought that if he was a country then maybe you'd spend time with him, but you got_ ** _mad_** _because you lost your little bit of land in the New World. Do you really believe America think's you love him after all these years?_ "Shut up shut up shut up" Britain cried, slamming his foot on the brakes so he didn't run a red light.

It was around 11 at night when Britain parked the car in America's driveway, next to the car that New England and Louisiana Territory were currently exiting. "W-wake up gits! We're he- we're here" Britain snapped, unbuckling his seat-belt and swinging the door open harshly. "Nnng Angleterre, carry me" France whined, reaching his hands out. "Walk yourself to the damn door" Britain said curtly, his voice breaking slightly. France's head looked over to the shorter blond, walking over to stand beside him. "Are you okay?" France asked, and Britain elbowed him in the ribs. "P-piss off" He mumbled, and France wrapped a reassuring arm around Britain's shoulders," It will be okay, America will come back good as new soon!" He said, watching Canada enter the house behind the two territories. "I was a terrible brother Francis" Britain sobbed, and France rubbed his back soothingly," I know Angleterre, I know... I was a bad brother too"

* * *

 _America sat in his chair, his jacket zipped up snuggly around his body. It was rather cold in the United Kingdom but America thought nothing of his shivering, telling himself it was the cold rain soaking his hair and bomber jacket. He was already in a bad mood that day, as he did not appear to be any skinnier. As a matter of fact, he had gained weight rather than lost it, three pounds to be exact. America reach up and began to rub his collarbone with his fingers, feeling slightly better at the feeling of bone under his finger tips. "Whatcha doing, America?" Canada asked, who had just entered the room. "Ah, it's only a few months until me and Iggy's scary-competition and I wanted to do something with bones. Doing this helps me think" America lied smoothly, and Canada nodded," I see, don't overdo it this year" He warned, walking off to take a seat next to Bulgaria and Croatia. "'Ello America, how are you?" Britain asked, closing his umbrella and putting it in an umbrella bin. "Ah, same-old same-old, what about you?" "Well I've had the most horrid day of my life; Northern Ireland wanted help with gardening so I didn't have enough time to finish a draft for parliament, not to mention Wales let his sheep loose again and Scotland kept me home long enough to rant about wanting his independence yet **again**. Then France comes along and tries to get me to sit on his lap and..." America tuned the ranting Englishman out, rubbing his collarbone one last time before dropping his hand to his side. America could feel himself getting fatter, those three pounds may seem like nothing but he could feel the shame burning into his heart. He had failed the diet, he had **gained weight.**_

 _"America, you alright? You looked a bit upset" Britain commented, looking America in the eyes. "I'm fine, just thinking dude!" The American laughed, smiling widely. "Hmmmm have you lost weight again? Your looking skinnier" Britain asked, taking in the flattened nose and slightly bulging eyes. "May have lost a few pounds, no biggie. It isn't that bad" America said dismissively, and Britain raised a single bushy brow in disbelief," I see... well you need to stop now, you'll end up starving yourself and looking like one of France's models-" He smirked, leaning down to whisper into America's ear," And we all know you'd never take after that Frenchie" "Of course not dude! That's like, the worst thing to ever happen!" America exclaimed, making Britain chuckle. The final NATO members filed in slowly, and Germany started the meeting, allowing the Czech Republic to take the podium. His stomach growled, begging for food after the meager meal of a single McMuffin that day. **Quiet dude, you'll interrupt the meeting.** America scolded his stomach, embarrassed. He faced Czech with a goofy grin on his face, ignoring the growing pain in his abdomen.  
_

* * *

Korea sat on his bed, thinking. The Summit was rather boring without America there, since Korea didn't have his buddy to cause mischief with. While he agreed that it was good that they had addressed world problems for once, nothing was done because the replacement Super Power was indecisive and gave no aid to any countries who asked. "You are stirr awake?" Japan asked, and Korea nodded, yawning," Just thinking, Japan-hyeong" He replied, and Japan sat down on the bed opposite his Korean brother," I wasn't aware you courd think" He commented, and Korea wasn't sure if that was a joke or an insult. He treated it like a joke and laughed," Of course I can think! I am Korea after all, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world" He bragged, proud of his accomplishments. Japan sighed, laying down and getting comfortable under the covers on the bed," Go to sreep, Korea-san" he mumbled, turning on his side to face the wall. After a few minutes his breathing evened out, and Korea leaned back onto his hands. "How long has he been there?" He asked himself, grabbing his phone and scrolling through his texts.

It was mostly silly things, like how to set off fireworks in the house, a declaration of war over Mario Kart, stuff like that. Sometimes it was," Can you send me the recipe for _?" or "How do you say _ in Korean/English?", and rarely was it anything serious. The last text America had replied to was," What's the amendment people declare to if they don't want to speak against themselves?" (The answer was the fifth amendment, Korea used it to declare he wouldn't talk bad about his Northern Half) and anything after that, it was the Korean asking America where he was, was he okay, was he upset with Korea for any reason, and the other likes of those messages. "I wonder if he even has his phone with him" Korea mumbled, rubbing an eye tiredly. He wanted to go to America's place to take it and give it to his younger friend, but he knew New England was probably staying there, and would most likely call the police on Korea. "I wonder..." Korea glanced at Japan, before shaking his head no," No! Stealing is wrong, even if it's from your brother" _But it's to help America..._ Korea thought, saddening slightly. "Maybe... he won't notice?" Korea pondered, standing and walking quietly to Japan's satchel. He looked through it, before finding a key-chain with All Might, Pikachu, Goku, and other anime characters on it. "Sorry Japan-hyeong" Korea apologized, taking the spare key to America's house off the chain, and putting the mess of merchandise and keys back into Japan's bag. Korea slipped the key into his own bag, before climbing into his bed, and falling into a fitful slumber.

* * *

 **It's been a while by my standards, eh? There are no further notes to add, and I did try and write in actual quotes from the anime in here, but I'm not sure if I got them right. This is the end of this chapter, see y'all later!**


	8. You Never

America sighed, shifting in the hospital bed to get comfortable. He knew they were "helping him", he knew what he had been doing wasn't "healthy", he knew he could die, but he didn't care. Maybe he used to care, but that was a long time ago; It used to be about loosing weight, and becoming better for the sake of everyone, but America knew he had long since passed the point of being "acceptable". Now it was just about staying in control, and America knew he was loosing his iron grip on his weight steadily. Gaining weight would mean a lack of discipline, a lack of discipline means you're short of control, and being short of control means you have no control over your life. America couldn't stand having no control over his life, that's the whole reason he did anything, it was for control. The expectations from Britain, the foreign countries colonizing his land, all the wars he fought in and/or started, he had tried to abandon those a long time ago, but Britain was still holding demands over his head, Spain and France had left permanent imprints on his culture forever, and war after war piled on top of him, stretching him thin and running him bankrupt. If he couldn't keep a steady weight range, then he really had no hope for the future, did he?

America rubbed his eyes with bony hands, before yawning. His muscles and skin felt strained, despite his lack of movement, and he had the urge to get up and _run, jump, lift, do anything but_ _ **sit there and let himself get fat**_. "They'll have to let you out soon Al, you'll be fine" He muttered, reaching for the newest book Louisiana Territory had brought him. _The Last Kingdom_ by Bernard Cornwell, it really was captivating. Britain had an interesting history, maybe he'd look further into it when he got internet access. "It sucks that this kid has more control over his life than I do, and he's living in 9th century England" America snorted, flipping the pages to where he left off.

* * *

 _"A meeting in Britain? That's new" America joked, getting a small smile from Canada. "Shut it you twat, it's just a meeting between family... and France" Britain scoffed, leading the North American duo to his car," You gonna let French Fry walk?" "Even worse-" Britain smirked," I'm making him hail a cab" "Oh the pain!" America laughed, sitting down beside Canada. "Anyways, I've got a meeting with Parliament tonight, so you two just get settled in, you can order delivery or something, and don't. Break. Anything" "Got it, captain" America said, saluting jokingly. Britain rolled his eyes, but smiled as Canada snickered. "Maybe we can catch up on Thirteen Reasons Why, eh?" Canada suggested, and America shrugged," Yeah, I've been meaning to watch that. But y'know, work and shit came up" The countries in the car all nodded in understanding, and Britain tried to crack a joke," Has work gotten in the way of eating too? You look incredibly skinny now, Alfred" "Who knows-" America shrugged," Maybe it has" "Well work isn't until tomorrow now, so we can binge on pizza and soda if you want" Canada offered, and America saw no reason to say no. He supposed it was okay for one day of fatty foods since his diet had been working so well. "Leave some for me, I'll be hungry when I get home, if Scotland keeps me until midnight again" "Yeah yeah, maybe we'll start the series over so we can recap on everything" "Sounds good. I'll get Ireland on Video Chat so he can watch with us, eh?"_

 _"I can't believe Angleterre! Making me 'ail a cab in London!" France cried dramatically, getting shushed by three countries who were engrossed with their TV show. "Bonjour to you too" France scoffed, and Canada waved to him slightly. "It's France innit?" Came a heavily accented voice, and France sighed," 'Ello, Ireland" "Shush, it's gettin' tae a good part!" Ireland whined, trying to get a better view from his laptop. There was a ring at the door, and America stood up," That must be the pizzas. Don't worry, we ordered cheese for you, for your weird Catholic Friday-thingy" France rolled his eyes, sitting down next to Canada as America grabbed a few pounds from his wallet. He payed for the pizza, took the boxes inside, and helped himself to two slices of pepperoni. "Thanks for getting us plates" Canada said sarcastically, before standing to get himself some food. "Get big brozer some cheese pizza, s'il vous plait!" France called, and Canada grunted in acknowledgement. America's common sense was going off the charts, screaming things like **don't eat that! You'll get fatter you greasy pig! Are you seriously cheating now, after all the progress we've made!? Such a disappointment!** but America ignored it, taking a bite from the slice of pizza to sooth his aching stomach. _

* * *

There was a knock on the door as America began contemplating tearing from his heart rate monitor, I.V. cord, and liquid food, and the American called to let the person in the room. He was a bit surprised to see the visitor, since they had only visited once, but he smiled nonetheless. "Korea, dude! What's up?" Korea sighed through his nose, but forced a smile as he pulled America's phone out of his pocket," I figured you would want this, so you could talk to someone. It was the least I could do for you, jjingjjing-i" "Thanks dude! I've been so bored since I finished reading the fucking Deathly Hallows for the third time this year. I was about ready to make a run for it" Korea sat in a chair," Don't do that, you still need to get some meat on those bones of yours" America winced, but nodded anyways. Korea thought for a moment, before taking America's hand gently," There is a Korean saying I want to tell you-" He smiled," 당신은 가족을 선택하지 않는다. 당신이 가족에게 그런 것 처럼 가족은 당신에게 하느님이 주신 선물이다. It means "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." Which means you're stuck with me, Britain, France, Canada, and whoever you're hiding in your home. We want to help you through this, and you don't really have a choice" America sighed, leaning into his pillow. Korea figured that probably wasn't the best thing to say, but what could he do? He couldn't take his words back now, and he didn't exactly regret it immediately- shit was America about to cry!?

"A-Alfred, look I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just-" America pulled Korea into the bed with what was remaining of his strength, burying his head into the older's shoulder. "I'm sorry" America whimpered, clutching the fabric of Korea's jacket tightly. "I- what are you apologizing for?" Korea asked, moving so he wasn't right on top of America. "Y-you all were pro- were probably really worried and I- I didn't listen to you or-or take your advice and now you all have to stay because I can't take care of myself" "Oh America, this wasn't your fault, not at all" Korea soothed, pulling the American closer," This was in no way your fault. Once you're at a healthy weight, we can help you get better" "It's never low enough" America mumbled, getting comfortable against Korea's warm body," The number's never low enough. I'll never be enough. What's it like to be enough?" Korea sighed through his nose, running his fingers through America's thin hair," I don't know, Al. I don't know"

* * *

 _America stifled a quiet cry, staring at the scale in dismay. Those little slices of pizza had made him game **two whole pounds**. In reality, the weight gain was normal, because the body was reacting to the loss of food and slowing the metabolism, but all America could think was **failure failure failure you got fatter failure failure failure** and he pushed the bathroom scale back under Britain's sink. "Breakfast is ready!" Came a loud French-accented voice, and America forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and splashed his face with water before walking downstairs. "Ah, Amerique, you 'ave come to join us!" France remarked jokingly, setting a plate of eggs and biscuits down on the table. "So much! Are you fattening me up for a witch?" America laughed, and France scoffed," There is 'ardly anyzhing on your plate, but who knows, maybe I am" America rolled his eyes and sat down at the table, facing Canada while waiting for the final member of the family. Britain yawned and stretched his arms over his head, and France smirked," 'ere comes ze witch now" Britain glared at him, but sat down on the end of the table where a plate was piled with eggs and two biscuits (A few beans on the side as well, because Britain loved his beans). France sat down at the table, muttered a quick prayer, and everyone began to eat (America pushed his food around with his fork, not that anyone noticed)._

 _"Bloody hell America, are those your arms or are those twigs?" Britain remarked, observing America's rather thin and frail body from what he could see with the younger wearing a tank-top. "I haven't been working on my arms very much, nothing to worry about" America explained, smiling. "Yes, well we need to get some fat on those bones, or you'll show up at the next meeting as a skeleton, won't you?" Britain joked, a concerned glint in his eyes. "Yeah yeah, stop worrying old man" "I am not old, you bloody brat! I'll have you know I am the former British Empire I raised you since you were just a little colony you better show some respect or I'll have you keelhauled out the window for everyone to see!" Britain cried, causing the family to erupt into a fit of laughter. America winced at the strain on his lungs, but didn't voice his discomfort. Britain was a lot skinnier than him, surely America could handle a bit of pain to get a kickass body like that; Canada wasn't looking so appealing anymore._

* * *

"Yo, do you know when I can get out of here?" America asked Korea after thirty minutes, and Korea shook his head no. "I'd estimate about a month, but we can always ask the nurse ourselves" Korea replied, and America nodded. "A lot of people miss you, jjingjjing-i" Korea murmured after a couple minutes of silence, and America smirked. "Really now? Like who?" "Well, me and Britain, Canada, and France for a few examples, but those aren't very good examples... Denmark really misses you, he doesn't have anyone to baby now" Korea noted, and America snorted. "Prussia misses you, he wants to go out an wreak havoc with you. Japan hasn't played his games nearly as often as he used to, and Germany misses the play-dates you let Apollo and his dogs have" Korea finished, and America sighed," Is that it?" "No, there's more, but that's all I could think of at the moment" Korea smiled, and America looked away. "I'm getting fatter" He whispered, and Korea deflated slightly. "That isn't true! I can still count your ribs, and you're wearing a hospital gown!" The elder exclaimed, and America started to shake slightly.

"I know" He whimpered, and Korea opened his mouth to speak, before being cut off," I know that I'm not healthy, that I'm not okay, but I can't stop... stop seeing what I see, it's too hard. But-" America began to sniffle," But I don't want to be like this anymore" He turned to face the Korean, eyes red and shining with unshed tears," What if I die? I don't want to die like this, Yong Soo" America's voice broke halfway through his sentence, and Korea leaned forward to envelope his best friend in a hug," Shhh, it's okay, Alfred" He murmured, rubbing his back gently," As long as I live, I promise I won't let you die" America buried his head into Korea's shoulder, body shaking with sobs. "I don't want to be like this" America repeated, and Korea said nothing as the young nation repeated the phrase continuously.

* * *

 _"Hey guys! What do you think, I found it on sale for 25% off!" America exclaimed, holding up an old shirt that said "Party like it's 1776". France and England were caught up in a fierce game of Scrabble, with Canada reading a book quietly on the couch. "Guys? Guys, c'mon, I was out for two hours looking for new clothes!" America whined, and yet again no one responded. He frowned, but walked to the bathroom; He may as well try the shirt on. He forced his head and arms through their respective holes, and turned to see all angles in the mirror. He had gotten the shirt in the biggest size they had available (A Youth Large) and found that it still hugged his body, showing off his "love-handles" and flabby waist. America bit his lip, wondering if he could return it to the store. **Wait, keep it. Use it for your goal. Once you fit the shirt, you can stop loosing weight** America thought, before smiling. He strolled out of the bathroom, before stopping in the front room where Britain was fuming because France had spelled out some absurd word in the French language. "Hey dudes, how long do you think it would take for me to loose enough weight to fit this?" America asked, and Britain whirled around, irritated," I don't know! Probably another century with that fat arse of yours!" He snapped, and America flinched at the harsh tone._

 _Canada looked up from his book, and France stood to calm the Briton down. Britain glared at America, before relaxing, and taking in the way the shirt hugged his ribs and hip-bone perfectly. "Oh god... America, I didn't mean-" "It's fine dude, it was a joke! Ah, I should probably take this off, it smells, like, hella weird" America laughed, waving a hand at Britain's apologetic tone. He walked calmly to the bathroom, pulling off the shirt and grabbing his baggy flannel, staring at himself in the mirror. **Dude, you need to loose weight, like, now** America told himself, and he bit the inside of his cheek. Buttoning the flannel shirt, America ran down the hall and jumped onto Canada, who had sat up to talk quietly with France and Britain. "So dudes! Who's up for a round of Mario Kart!?" America shouted, grinning brightly. Everyone hesitated, before Canada held up a controller, smirking. "Bring it on, Al"_

* * *

 **It's about time I published another chapter, right? I actually feel a bit proud of myself**


	9. Do anything

**It's-a me, Mario! Well, actually not Mario, it's just me. Anyways I just have the usual warnings of Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing, and improper spelling/grammar.**

* * *

Korea scrolled through Tumblr, not paying attention to the time. Had he looked out the window or glanced at the clock on his phone, he would know it was ten at night. Visiting hours would end in about thirty minutes, and Korea needed to leave. "Hey jjingjjing-i, I'm going to leave now" Korea said, putting his phone in his pocket. America sighed, but nodded, putting a bookmark between the pages of The Order of the Phoenix. "See ya later dude" America said, and Korea gave him a one-armed hug (Very gentle, Korea didn't want to hurt America) before walking out of the door. The majority of their time was spent on electronics or reading, and while to people like China, Britain, France, and even Denmark, that wasn't socializing, it was still nice to feel another person's presence. Heading to his car, Korea wasn't surprised to see that the parking lot was nearly empty, save for the few people who were also leaving from visiting friends and family in the hospital. Once he got inside his car, he sat there for a few minutes, just thinking to himself and fiddling with his hands. "Damn, I sure hope Al's family know what they're doing" Korea sighed, grabbing the fabric of his pants in his balled up fists. "I need to get back to the hotel, or someone might notice that I'm gone-" As if right on cue, Korea's phone started playing a "Trap remix" of _March of the Volunteers_ , China's national anthem. Answering the phone quickly, Korea took a deep breath, and said in an excited voice," Annyeong, Yao-hyung!"

"Yong Soo! Where on Earth are you!? Japan say he not see you since you left meeting yesterday!" China cried, anger overriding any concern he might have felt. "Just out and about, exploring the red light district" "WHAT!? You get your ass back to hotel now before I find my wok and punish you properly!" China snapped, before hanging up. Feeling anxious, and a bit guilty for lying to his brother, Korea's thumb swiped through his contacts, and stopped on one he knew he could tell anything. "It's not like he doesn't know about Alfred's condition, and I'm Al's best friend, he won't care that I know! I just want someone to talk to..." Korea hesitated, before calling the contact.

* * *

 _"I don't feel too good" America mumbled, curled up on his bed. His stomach had been shooting sharp cramps up his body all night, and he felt lethargic and exhausted. "Al? You okay dere?" New England asked, poking his head inside to observe his unhealthy brother. "I dunno dude, I might need to call off that Oovoo call with the others I had planned" America moaned, flinching as another pain racked his nerved. "Alright, I'll just make you some food to help settle your stomach-" "Don't feel like eating, thinking about it makes me feel sick" America interrupted, shivering slightly. "Are you sure Al? It might do you some good to have even a little bowl of soup or a small sandwich or something" New England reasoned, brushing the thin strands of blond hair out of the eldest's face. "I'm sure, just please email Britain, Canada, and France that I can't talk today. Just tell them it's the political shit messing with my head" America pleaded, and New England sighed, nodding. "I'll get someone too feed you eventually" He muttered, feeling despair clutch at his heart.  
_

 _The next day, America was feeling better after sleeping the previous day away, and he felt the need to go running. Stretching, he dressed himself a hoodie and sweatpants, grabbing his phone and earbuds before going to find his shoes. "Going out on a run without even eating breakfast?" Came the voice of Oregon, sitting at the kitchen table. "It's a bit early for breakfast, isn't it?" America asked, and Oregon shrugged," Eight in the morning sounds perfectly reasonable to me" America sighed, and put his shoes on," I'll be back for breakfast eventually, don't worry" And with that, he left the house, earbuds plugged into his phone and blasting Fall Out Boy at top volume._

* * *

"Ugh, Corée?" Came a tired, accented voice. "S-sorry if I woke you up!" Korea apologized, putting the conversation on speaker. "It is fine, I was not planning to sleep for a while tonight, might I ask why you are still up?" France asked, and Korea shrugged, not remembering France couldn't see him. "I was... visiting America" He admitted, and France was silent for a moment, before laughing slightly," Zhat was a funny joke, but please, tell me why you are awake" "I really was visiting Al! I gave him his phone and we talked for a while" "Please do not joke of zhese zhings, Alfred's phone is on zhe counter- where did it go!?" France cried, and Korea sighed," I told you so" "But you- did you break into Amerique's 'ouse!?" France demanded, and Korea hummed in affirmation," He seemed bored last time we talked, so I gave him something to keep in contact with us" He explained, and France sighed. After a minute of silence, and of Korea thinking France had hung up on him, France spoke again. "Do you need a place to sleep? All zhe guest rooms are taken, but zhe couch isn't too bad" France offered, and Korea grinned slightly," Thanks, I did check out of the hotel earlier. It's better than sleeping an alley and begging to be robbed or raped" "Oui, zhat is true. See you in a bit, Yong Soo" "I'll see you later too! Bye!" And with that, he hung up.

Korea turned onto America's street, slowing the rental car to a gentle cruise so he could make another call. "Im Yong Soo! It is almost eleven at night, where are you!?" China demanded, and Korea could hear the hushed voices of his siblings in the background. "I'm not going back home yet, apparently I'm meeting Jae-In at the US Embassy tomorrow and I'll be staying for a while, oopsie" Korea lied, amazed at how smooth that sounded. After a moment or two of muffled cluttering, a new voice came over the phone," Yong Soo? Can you hear me?" asked Taiwan, and Korea hummed. "I want you home immediately after your meeting at the Embassy, okay? We're planning a huge family dinner for Dongzhi and we want you to help make the Tangyuan" "Can do sis, I'll be home in a month or so, alright?" Korea asked, pulling into America's driveway. "Okay, see you in a month. Goodbye" Taiwan sighed, and Korea said goodbye before Taiwan hung up. Korea rested his head on the steering wheel, thinking to himself. He had lied twice to his siblings, would he have to do it again for America's sake? He sure hoped not, because he probably couldn't keep it up. "The things I do for you, Al" Korea said after a while, leaving the car and taking his things into the house, where France could be seen reading a copy of The Three Musketeers on the couch.

* * *

 _"How long has it been since I got new prescriptions for my eyes?" America asked himself, peering at the lenses of his glasses with blurred vision. "Probably sometime in the 1960s" He mumbled, putting his glasses on. Lately his vision had been going out of focus at random times, and it was a pain during the meetings when he couldn't see properly. Canada was lucky his eyes didn't change much after the whole "Tear gas at Ysef" thing in World War 2, so he didn't change glasses often. Of course, if America were to see a doctor, they would tell him his vision impairment was because he didn't eat, but America, like some weird anti-vax mom, didn't trust doctors very much. Forcing himself out of the bathroom and down the stairs, America eventually flopped onto the couch, the cushions sinking slightly under his weight. He was home alone for most of the day, since the territories were all at school, and he was feeling pretty bored. "It shouldn't be very late over in Europe, maybe we can finally do that Oovoo call I cancelled!" America exclaimed, pulling his laptop off the floor and calling Britain, France, and Canada. After a few tries, America began to think he should give up, before his calls were answered. "America, it's like seven over here, I was trying to read" Britain complained, and France snickered._

 _"Oh Angleterre, you need to lighten up!" France said, and Canada rolled his eyes," Good afternoon Al" "Good afternoon Mattie! These two old geezers sound like they missed their nap" America joked, and Britain gasped while France gave an offended look. "Anyways, I just wanted to make up for that call I bailed out on about a week ago-" "Mon dieu Alfred! You 'ave gotten so skinny!" France cried, looking worried," 'ow about I come over and make a big meal for you?" "Nah, it's fine-" "He obviously needs something sweet for his blood, you frog. How does a pastry or two sound lad?" "I'd love that but I'm fine really-" "Poutine always seemed to settle your stomach, eh?" America was silent as he had been interrupted many times in the past minute, before scoffing," I'm fine dudes! But I think I need my eyes checked, things keep getting blurry at random moments and its an ass when I can't see during a meeting, y'know?" America joked, and Canada shrugged," You didn't get your eyes checked after September 11, which probably screwed your vision. You might want to get a new prescription." He offered, and America nodded," Yeah, that sounds about right. I'll schedule an appointment for next week or somethin', but for now let's just have fun!"_

* * *

Korea lay awake on the couch, unable to sleep for once. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants that he had gotten from America's drawers, and had taken a shower before lying down with an old blanket and pillow. In all honesty, he figured he should be able to sleep at this moment, but he just couldn't. He was thinking so many thoughts he thought he couldn't think anymore thoughts, but he was wrong. His mind was instantly bombarded with even _more_ thoughts, telling him to sleep so he could see America in the morning, telling him to check the time so he knew how much longer it was until visiting hours, get dressed so he was ready to see America _all his thoughts revolved around America and seeing him as soon as possible_. Korea rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone from the ground, turning it on and shielding his eyes from the bright light. He groaned inwardly when he saw his phone was at 15% and would't be charging until the next morning, but he looked through Tumblr for anything to take his mind off America. _Check his blog- see if there are any concerned followers- see for any reblogs that could have led to this- check his blog now_ Korea's thoughts demanded, and he gave in to their cruel desires. Checking America's blog "Big Mac McDaddy" and sees that there were, indeed, many followers spamming his asks and flooding his notes with questions about his wellbeing. His most recent reblogs had been of people encouraging others to skip meals, exercise for extreme hours and even force themselves to throw up. It was utterly shocking and sickening for Korea just how obvious America had been, and he wasn't even looking out for it.

Korea eventually did find a picture of America himself, making a small post-exercise smoothie while showing off his newly flattened stomach, exposed spine and prominent rib cage. The caption read," Lost another 5 pounds this week, need to step up my game, huh?" and Korea was ready to vomit. He closed the app and took a deep, shuddering breath, telling himself to get a glass of water. Walking into the kitchen, he bumped into Britain, who merely glanced at him before heading to the top cupboard. "I heard France talking to you over the phone" He mumbled after five minutes of silence, a tea kettle on the stove. "Sorry for intruding on family business but... Al is my best friend" Korea replied quietly, and Britain nodded. "Do you want a cup too?" He sighed, and Korea nodded. "Milk or no?" "No milk please" Korea said in a raspy voice, and Britain nodded. "It's alright that your here, actually" Britain said while pouring the boiling water into two mugs," We don't exactly know what Alfred is liking anymore, whether he's fine with our jokes or not or even if he likes us very well. It's nice to have someone around us who knows Alfred well" Korea nodded, blowing on his tea before taking a sip. The duo sat in silence; Not an awkward, uncomfortable silence that needs to be filled with noise, but the silence that two experienced nations can sit in while having a cup of tea while reminiscing over their young friend/brother. "How are you doing?" Korea asked after making it half-way through his cup, and Britain shrugged. "That damned Prime Minister of mine is going to run me into the ground, but who hasn't had leaders like that" "Yes yes, but I meant how are you as Arthur doing?"

Britain blinked in surprise, before smiling," Not bad at all, I have just received a new set of books to read, not mention an entire embroidery set. What about you?" "Saw my brother the other day, granted it was across the border but it was nice. We waved to each other and went back to our duties, but nothing else has happened really" Korea sighed, brushing strands of hair out of his face. "We should probably go to bed now" Britain said, and Korea shrugged," I can't sleep" Britain took the mugs and set them in the sink, sighing and leaning on his hands. Turning to face the elder of the two, he opened his mouth to speak. "Neither can I"

* * *

 **This chapter seems a bit short... oh well. Anyways, in other news, I have a new story up! Read it if ya want, or don't, It's not my choice now is it?**


	10. For Me

**"Italics for flashbacks. For sure. Is this a bromance or a romance?"** A very good question my friend! (Also, just a bit late for the flashback debate. If I changed it now it would probably make things a bit more confusing) Anyways, for the bromance vs. romance thing, the whole FACE family is, well, a family thing; New England, Louisiana Territory, Spanish Florida, Santa Fe de Nueve Mexico, and the other territories are also family, America's younger brothers and sisters. As for America and Korea, if I spoiled that then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?

Anyways I have the usual warnings of Anorexia/Bulimia, cursing, and improper grammar/spelling. I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember that the hero loves you!

* * *

Korea and Britain did not sleep at all that night, talking about their favorite teas (It ended up as a debate between black tea and green tea), exchanging stories from when they were children (When Korea got stuck in a tree? Hilarious. When France forced England into one of his tunics? Absolutely humorous), as well as their time with their families (Of course, the British Isles could be very rough with each other, and all of Asia would never be on good terms with each other at the same time); All in all, it had been a good night between two nations that got along like old friends. Of course, when France, Canada, Louisiana, and New England (And the dogs, of course) woke up, they couldn't help but comment on how tired and pale they looked. "I'm fine, it's just a tea withdrawal!" Britain assured them. "It's the jacked up time-zones messing with me, I'll be fine!" Korea laughed, and the other nations just sighed. Of course, they had were worrying over two closet-worry-warts. "So what's for breakfast? I'm cooking!" Britain exclaimed, and France paled," I am sure zhat is not necessary, you et Korea look very unwell, why don't you two rest while me and Canada-" "Are you doubting us?" Korea asked, standing up abruptly," That does it! Me and Britain are making Breakfast! Both of you, out of the kitchen, go!"

Canada, Louisiana, New England, and France were hurriedly shooed out of the kitchen, and blocked off by a baby-gate that America used to keep Apollo out of the kitchen when he was cooking. "So what are you thinking of today?" Korea asked, rolling up his sleeves. "Er... maybe you should cook, if they seem to react like that" Britain said awkwardly, and Korea frowned," Nonsense! You British people like beans on toast, right? Go ahead and make that! I'll make some banchan and soup!" Britain shrugs, and grabs a loaf of wheat bread," I guess... but I don't know where the beans are..." "Third cabinet over the oven" Korea said simply, already gathering cucumber, salt, pepper flakes, and other ingredients for the batch of banchan. "Beans and toast eh? Y'know, America would always beg to have this for breakfast whenever he stayed over at my place, a habit he picked up from his colony years I suppose" Britain sighed, and Korea said nothing, allowing the Briton to speak. "It's always 'beans on toast, you can do something like that can't ya?'. I wonder if he'll ever look and sound so _eager_ for a bit of food like that ever again"

* * *

 _America yawned, raising his thin arms over his head. "Good morning America, up for a bit of beans and toast today?" Britain asked, already wearing a white polo shirt and a pair of jeans. "Er, my stomach is actually a bit upset. Y'know, political unrest, talk of impeaching the president, not really settling well with me" America said with a slight smile on his face, shrugging. "Oh, well then how about a bit of warm soup? That always seemed to cheer you up" Britain sympathized, and America bit his lip," I really feel like I'm gonna throw up dude so-" "So you're still going to eat so you don't hurt yourself dry-heaving. It's better to have eaten a little and throw up than to eat nothing and throw up something like stomach fluids and blood" Britain said confidently, and America scowled when he turned his back. **Damn Britain and his fucking maternal instincts, he's going to** **jeopardize** **everything!** America_ _groaned internally, and sat down at the kitchen table, pulling out his phone. He opened up Tumblr and made a quick text post that read," My stupid brother is making me eat a thing of soup, gonna have to work that off too huh? How are y'all doing this fine morning!" He then began to scroll through his feed, seeing things like game fan-art, various fanfictions, some hella good cosplays, and of course, post-exercise pictures and progress pictures of men and women with extremely thin bodies with prominent ribcages, defined hip bones and shoulder blades that stuck out like a green thumb._

 _"Breakfast will be ready in about thirty minutes, why don't you go shower?" Britain suggested, and America turned off his phone, setting it on the table and trudging up the stairs to the bathroom. When had England gotten so many stairs? His legs starting aching after climbing up just half the steps, his lungs burning and his vision going in and out of focus. "I can't be that out of shape" America muttered, rubbing his eyes from under his glasses. He had, of course, gotten a new prescription, but they wouldn't be coming in for almost another two weeks, so he had time to be in England for another damn NATO meeting. Finally reaching the bathroom, he closed the door and leaned on it, taking deep breaths that put a strain on his lungs. **Do I have a problem?** America thought to himself, but shook it off. Of course not, he was the United States of America; He never needed help._

* * *

"Are y'all almost done?" Louisiana Territory shouted, and Korea shook his head no," Not yet! Soup and banchan takes a while to make!" he shouted back, and a collection of groans could be heard from everyone in the living room. "When I would visit America, I would always find the ingredients for banchan in a cabinet. I figured he knew that it was my favorite breakfast, but he had once again proved me wrong" Korea giggled, and Britain let out a hum of interest. "This was back in 2008, keep in mind. Global Recession, the Credit Market froze, not to mention the Stock Market Crash. I was surprised he was still so cheerful when he invited me over" Korea began, and Britain snickered," Yes, you can't imagine America's face when he heard that his Stock Market crashed again. Literally, he was paler than a sheet and looked ready to throw up, cry, and laugh in that order" Korea laughed, and almost spilled soup all over himself. "Anyways, I found that he _still_ had the ingredients for banchan in his cabinet, and I decided that I'd make it for breakfast the next day, to try to cheer him up. We played a game of Risk, watched The Patriot for probably the millionth time and eventually fell asleep on the couch"

"When I woke up the next day at six in the morning, I found America in the kitchen with his phone on, full brightness and everything!" Korea exclaims, and Britain nods. "I sneak up on him with my Korea made ninja-skills and see that it's a recipe for Banchan! Granted, it was a rather Americanized version since he got it from the internet, but he was still trying to make Banchan nonetheless! I actually laughed a little and made Al spill everything, so we ended up going to McDonalds for breakfast" "You poor bloke" Britain says sarcastically. Korea snickers, before finishing the Banchan and soup. "Beans and toast almost done?" Korea asks, and Britain nods," It'll be a bit messy, but what do you expect from beans?"

* * *

 _America rubs his eyes tiredly, trying to stay awake. It was a NAFTA meeting between him, Canada, and Mexico and right now Canada and Mexico were trying to calmly (and failing) talk about immigration problems; Mexico about him loosing too many people, Canada about too many people coming in. "America you have to block your borders off! My people are about to give me diabetes with the amount of blood pressure I'm loosing!" Mexico cries, and America gazes sleepily at him," I thought your president didn't care" "He doesn't care but I do! I am literally about to go into a diabetic coma because of this!" "I'll talk to the Prez about it" America mumbles. Of course his president would be more than happy to do this, but America was afraid of loosing Mexico as a trade partner. "And another thing America!" Canada snaps," Your people are flooding in here, I had to literally come across the border to tell your people to not come here illegal!y! Do you know how many people my Royal Mountain Police have caught sneaking over? Over 5,000!" America nods, wincing at the pain in his head," Sorry bro" "It's not his fault his president is so crazy that his people are literally running away!" "That's literally what you were just complaining ten seconds ago but for YOUR president!"_

 _"How did a trade meeting escalate to this" America groans, burying his head in his arms. He was trembling slightly, whether from exhaustion or the cold that seeped into his bones that no one noticed, he wasn't sure. He hadn't slept again for the third night in a row because of paperwork about crackdowns on the Southern border and Yellowstone eruptions precautions, not to mention not eating a meal in **two days** (He had eaten two apples the day before). Canada was too busy ranting about," Noisy Americans coming and expecting honey and sugar from everyone without the proper documentation" to notice America's state of well being, but Mexico noticed. "You feeling okay hermano?" Mexico asks, and America shakes his head no. "The lights are too bright, you all are too loud and my head is pounding, my throat is hella dry but no matter how much I drink it always goes back to being dry and it's too damn cold in here" He mumbles, and Mexico presses the back of his hand to America's forehead. "Madre de Dios! Your burning up!" Mexico exclaims, removing his hand quickly. _

_"Maybe we should get you home. Mex, you can go back to Mexico City because your planning that get-together with Spain and Latin America" Canada sighs, wrapping America's pale arm around his shoulder. "I'm g'nn p'ss 't" America mumbles, the world spinning around him and flickering in and out of focus. "What was that?" Canada asks. "'m Gonn' p'ss out" America says a bit louder before slumping forward. "Merde!" "Mierda" Mexico and Canada exclaim at the same time. "Are you sure you can handle him on your own?" Mexico asks, and Canada nods," I've been handling him since birth, we'll be fine" As Canada carried America out of the building, he couldn't help but think **can I handle it?**_

* * *

"You know, I'm sure America would love for us to visit him" Canada suggests, and France shrugs," Maybe, but maybe wait until we're sure 'e's awake" "Soooooo 10:30? 'Cause he's usually up at like six or seven" Korea says, and Britain nods," Yes, we can leave at 10:30" "The territories still aren't awake yet?" Canada asks, and Britain nods," Lazy creatures, I'm sure they get it from someone" "New England is related to you" "Well Louisiana Territory is related to _you_ " Korea shakes his head, glancing at Canada while giving a sarcastic smile. "What's with all the bickerin' down here?" Louisiana asks, walking down the stairs two steps at a time. "Nothing important" Korea assures him, and Louisiana looks surprised to see him there, before relaxing. "I know you, Al would always play Overwatch with ya and stuff. He always liked bein' McCree an' ya seemed to enjoy D. Va" "That's me!" Korea exclaims," Im Yong Soo, South Korea!" "Pierre Jones, Louisiana Territory" They introduce themselves, shaking hands. "Sooo i heard some'em about visitin' Al today?" Louisiana asks as he takes a plate of Banchan and toast (He scraped the beans off) "Yep! Gonna leave at 10:30" Canada says, and Louisiana nodded," I'm sure New England will be up by then"

"He better be, I won't ever admit to being related to a lazy arse" Britain sighs, and the table starts snickering. "Should we bring him anythin'?" Louisiana asks, and Korea nods," let's save some Banchan for him!" "Yeah, I'm sure he'd love a break from that disgusting hospital food"

* * *

 **My chapters are getting shorter and shorter XD**


	11. I Fake a Smile

**Hooooowdyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy frens anyways usual warnings, you all know them by now, lets goooooooooooo**

* * *

America wrinkles his nose at the Banchan, and Korea's heart drops. "You don't like it?" Korea asks pitifully, France, Canada, and Britain all watching with despair. "I wish I could say I want to eat it but... y'know... I'm just not feelin' it right now" America sighs, then smiles apologetically," Sorry dudes" Britain shakes his head and sighs," It's quite alright lad, but I wish you would eat something of your own accord instead of the hospital injecting it into you" He explains, running a hand through America's thin (but slowly thickening) hair. "I wish I could too Iggy but ya know, the voices won't let me" America tapped one of his knuckles against his temple, and the mood gets a bit more depressing in the room. "So, Alfred, find any new books zhat you might want to read?" France asks," I 'ave to leave soon and I want to say goodbye properly" America rolls his eyes and chuckles, but is thoughtful for a moment. "Y'know, there was one I saw about the Civil War. It's embarrassing, really, that it's required reading... I think... but I've never even read it" America smiles nervously," Gone with the Wind? If you can't find it I won't hold it against you dude-" "Non, I know zhat New York City is bustling wizh bookstores, I am sure I will find it somewhere" France interrupts him, smiling gently. "You may 'ave gotten many zhings from Britain, and many zhings from me, but I do not believe I 'ave ever told you zhat your eyes are prettier zhan bozh mine and Britain's combined" France compliments, and America flushes and starts coughing slightly.

"Smooth, but not needed right now" Britain snorts, and America nods in agreement. "It made you all smile, did it not?" France smirks, and America fights off a grin making it's way to his face. "Not to mention that you should be getting out of the hospital soon Al!" Canada says suddenly," You'll be out in less than a month! I was talking with a nurse and she said you've made great progress!" "Really dude!? That's awesome! I'm so fucking stiff from laying here without moving" America exclaims, blue eyes shining with excitement. "But... you'll be set up with a therapist for a while after you get out, but I'll be here with Britain so you don't go completely insane" Canada jokes, and America sighs. "A therapist? Damn it, I was hoping they'd trust me to go on my own after I got out of here" "Alfred, I said this earlier and I'll say it again. You eat because your forced, not of your own accord. We know that, and your doctor knows that. We want to make sure your eating before we leave you, is that so bad?" Britain asks, and America leans into his pillow. After a moment, he replies with," No, I guess not"

* * *

 _America wasn't looking too hot right now. It was something all of North America (Yes, even Cuba, who had managed to not be rude to him that day) noticed, unsure if they were supposed to help right now or not. "Would you like to come over with me hermano? I was planning on making a big meal and I would love someone to share it with" Mexico offers, and America waves him away," I'm good dude, but thanks for asking" He says in a raspy voice. "We were all going to get together and talk about Mama" El Salvador adds," Can we have one of our Northern brothers' input?" America shook his head no," Sorry, I've got a lot of work to do" He grins shakily," You all are flattering, really, but I truly am fine"  
_

 _No one looked convinced, not even the slightest, but they let it go. "So, this reunion has to be worth something right?" Canada laughs nervously," How are you doing, Haiti?" The mentioned country flashed Canada a smile," I'm fine, Matthew, how are you?" "I'm doing well, trying to help Ukraine out with Russia" Canada sighs. "What a bully, am I right? What kind of person would invade another country and call it an accident" Cuba scoffs, and everyone nods in agreement. "Oh, that reminds me, I brought snacks!" Mexico exclaims," Sour candy, spicy candy, and chilaquiles!" Mexico exclaims, gesturing to an entire table of food. "Breakfast? For dinner?" Jamaica laughs, and Mexico nods happily. "Alfred! You always loved my sour candies, want some?" Mexico offers, dropping a pile of four lemon-citrus flavored candies in front of America. "Ah, thanks man" America sighs, staring at the candy with a mix of disgust and want. He shoved them in his jacket pocket, saying he would eat them later._

 _He was such a filthy liar._

* * *

After two and a half more weeks of hospital visits (France left on the third day, dropping off a copy of _Gone With the Wind_ before departing) America was released. Someone had to sign him out (Britain insisted he do it, as he had raised the boy after all) while the others helped him get to the car. When they got to the house, Britain was quick to schedule a therapist's appointment for the Sunday of next week (they were lucky to find a therapist that would work that day). "Hey Yong Soo, what did you tell your sibs to get them to leave you alone?" America asks an hour after they got to his house, sitting between Canada and Britain on the couch. Korea was on the floor sitting on his knees, and Louisiana Territory and New England were heading out to pick up some groceries for the house (America, after having been bothered by everyone for a request, said to just get him some fruit or something. It wasn't much, but it was still improvement). "China called a few times, I just told him I was meeting your president at the embassy" Korea shrugs, and the room is filled with the sound of quiet snickering. "Ya know, that's great Yong Soo, but, uh, there's one problem with that lie..." America laughs, trailing off. "What is it?" Korea asks, and America fiddles with his hands. "I'm in the middle of a government shut down"

Korea opened and closed his mouth, unable to find words, before simply saying," Oh". "China's a smart man, unfortunately" Canada sighs," I predict he'll be calling you sometime today to chew you out for lying. You better have a better lie prepared" Britain scoffs and rolls his eyes," That twat should learn to keep his nose out of our business. It's not like he cares what happens to America" "He may not care about what happens to me" America mumbles, a bit stung by the comment," But he seems to care about what happens to Korea. I've learned the hard way that not everything is about me, even in times like right now" Korea snorts," He can care all he wants, I'm not goin' home anytime soon"

America smiles at him gratefully, and Korea grins back. "Alright you two, if you could stop pining after each other for a moment, we need to talk about who's taking Al to the therapist next Sunday, because I need to call New France and see how things are going in my country, and I'm sure Britain doesn't entirely trust Scotland or Wales to take care of everything without a reminder" Canada huffs, crossing his arms. "We're not pining!" Korea and America exclaim, and Britain winces," Oh god, two loud countries in the same small room. I don't think I can handle it" America sticks his tongue out at him and Korea flips him off. "Anyways, I can take Al to the therapist, I'm sure Baekje, Gaya, and Silla can manage without me for a bit longer" Korea says, and Canada claps his hands together," Alright then, Korea's taking Al to the therapist next week! Any questions?" he says, and America raises his hand. "Uh yeah, can I not go?" Canada laughs, an innocent look on his face," No."

* * *

 _America was staying over at Britain's house for a few days, his own country had gotten pretty unbearable for even him, and he needed a break. To the right of him was Wales, as quiet as ever. America was beginning to suspect that he was mute, but didn't ever ask because that would probably be rude. To his left was Northern Ireland, reading a book called The False Prince, probably a gift from Canada. He hadn't really seen Britain or Scotland since he got there, but he assumed they were just busy at work. Although, America would not think of it as work in a few minutes._

 _The front door slammed open, Britain stomping inside and pulling off his raincoat with jerking motions, leaving it on a coat rack with a glare behind him. He didn't bother to take off his shoes, preferring to track mud on the carpet rather than stay another second with the person behind him. Scotland tossed his coat to the ground, kicking off his shoes and shouldering past Britain to sit next to Wales. "Alfred" Britain sighs, folding his arms," Could you be a dear and help me in the kitchen? It looks like_ someone _is going to be a child for the rest of the night. Maybe I should send him to bed early" he sneers at Scotland. "Askin' America for help are yae? Go on, run back tae him like a pup to his mammy" Scotland goads, and Britain glares at him. "You'd know about running back to someone, huh? Seeing as how you were quick to beg to be my ally after I beat you and France's sorry arses" "I wouldnae ask yae for a single rat's tail if yae starved me like yae did to Ireland!"_

 _"You're too stubborn to ask for anything, no wonder the rest of us left you to rot!"_

 _"I believe yae've got it mixed around, as it seems the rest of us hate yae more than yae claim tae hate the French"_

 _"I've got Northern Ireland!"_

 _"He hates yae, I know he does! He comes to my room every night tae complain about all the car bombs and how they're all yaer fault!"_

 _"I raised him, he's smart enough to know it's not my fault"_

 _"We all know it is, wee bassa. Everythin' that goes wrong here is yaer fault, **Britain** "_

 _Britain glared at Scotland intensely, and America felt the room get an awkward and strained atmosphere. "Hey Iggy, lets get started making dinner. I know y'all must be starving" America says after a moment, and Britain growls out an "okay" and follows him to the other room. "Favoritism, aye?" Scotland calls after them,"I always knew yae had a thing for the fat ones!"_

* * *

"Anyways, then Japan tries to prove he can climb trees better than me just because he's older. He fails, obviously, which is why I'm telling this story" Korea grins, waving his hands around," I climb five branches higher than him, and he looks down and almost starts _crying_ because we're so high up. I ask him why he doesn't climb down, and he tells me it's because he's never climbed trees before" Britain and Canada start snickering, and America is looking out the window every five seconds to see if Louisiana and New England have come back yet. "I eventually ask him to get on my back, because I'm tall and strong like that, and get us down. I take a wrong step and we both end up free falling. Japan grabs a branch and I fall to the ground, breaking an arm. Japan gets down with nothing more than an aching shoulder and a few tears, and China starts yelling at _me_ for being reckless of all things! Needless to say, I learned that tree climbing is not a skill that runs in the family so I've got a wicked platform in a tree behind my house that I go to when everyone's getting really annoying" Korea finishes, and Canada claps him on the back," That's awesome, I wish I had something like that to run away from Al once in a while... No offense man"

"None taken" America sighs," I just wish Timothy and Pierre would hurry the hell up" "Me too, I want my fucking M&Ms" Korea huffs, and the room bursts out laughing once more. Korea glances at America, and notices the wide grin that spread on his face, not blinding and unimaginably wide, but big enough that the corners of his eyes would wrinkle slightly and that his small dimples would stand out. He had made Alfred laugh. "I've got a story, it's about the time me and Canada thought we were witches" America says after calming down, still smiling brightly.

* * *

 _Britain made damn good pastries, is all America has to say. The dinner had been uncomfortably silent with America and Northern Ireland trying to crack jokes to lighten the mood, but nothing worked. Wales was still chillingly silent, Scotland kept shooting death glares at Britain, and Britain tried to ignore his older brother in favor of the moist pile of mashed potatoes and dry chicken on his plate. The dinner itself did not taste that great, but the pastry dessert at the end made up for it. "Ya know Arthur, if ya keep this baking up you'll have France running for his money" Northern Ireland comments, taking an uncomfortably large bite from a cookie. "Ah, thank you..." Britain mumbles, not used to being complimented on his cooking. Wales nods in agreement, and Scotland sneers at the slice of pumpkin bread he got for himself," I've had better from America's place, and that garbage is terrible"_

 _America did not notice the comment, staring hungrily at the almost whole loaf of pumpkin bread, the plate stacked high with cookies and brownies, and the small dish of scones that sat to the side. "Are you going to take one, Alfred?" Britain asks, looking concerned, and a bit hurt. America nods, feeling knots tie in his stomach and his heart grow ten times heavier. He grabbed a brownie, hesitantly taking a bite, chewing slowly and forcing himself not to retch onto the floor at the taste of chocolate and walnuts, and eventually swallows. He took bite after bite after bite, getting more and more comfortable with each time. Eventually, he was asking how many he could have. Britain looked delighted to see America look so hungry for his baking, and said he had made extra specifically for his appetite._

 _After that, America ate._

 _He ate and ate and ate and ate ate ate ate ateateateateateateateate._

 _"Had yaer fill, lad?" Scotland snorts, and America notices the crumbs in the palms of his hands, the small chocolate stains on his fingers, and the hint of nutmeg in his mouth. Oh god, what had he done? A good half of the food was gone, and America could feel himself paling, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out. "You feeling alright?" North asks, and America nods," Y-yeah, just need to use the bathroom..." Without another word, he dashes to one of three bathrooms in the house, closing the door rapidly and sliding to the floor. God, he had just ate so much! His diet was ruined! It was terrible and he was going to get so fat and obese and everyone would call him a butter whore and carbo-loaded freak and a glutton and fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_

 _America covered his mouth to muffle his crying, to make sure everyone else didn't know that he knew that he was fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfat_

 _America dragged himself over to the toilet, retching instinctively from the sudden intake of food._

 _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_

 _He knocks his head against the toilet seat, tears burning his face and staining his cheeks as they fell rapidly with every gasping breath and scarring heave he took, the toilet water stained yellow and red with bodily fluids, chunks of undigested food floating around_

 _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfat_

 _America threw up. He had binged, gorged himself on food he didn't deserve, and now he was punishing himself. He ran out of food, ran out of fluids to release, now he was dry-heaving and it hurt so much it hurt it hurt it HURT_

 ** _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_**

 _"Please someone just make it stop!"_

 ** _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_ _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_**

 _America lay on the cool tile floor, shaking with sobs held back by clammy hands, knees pulled up to his chest. "I'm sorry" He whimpers, voice raspy and quiet but still stinging his abused throat. "I'm so so sorry" he says to who he failed. Who did he fail?_

 ** _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_ _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_** ** _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_ _Fatfatfatfatfatfatgluttonselfishcarboloadedfreakdiabeticfatfatfat_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatgreedyselfishbutterwhoregluttonpigpigpigwastefulfatfatobeseunloveddisgrace_ _fatfatfatfatfatfatfatobesegluttonbutterwhorecarboloadedfreakfatfatfatfatfatfat_**

 _Himself._


	12. I Hide My Problems from You

**It has been a while my dudes but do not worry t'was merely schoolwork bringing me down**

* * *

America didn't eat.

It was his first week back home, and he didn't eat.

They weren't going to force him, what if they triggered something and made him throw up or worse? No, "force feeding is out of the question" is something everyone agreed on. Louisiana Territory did try to force feed America once, and managed to get him to scarf down half a sandwich. After that America used the restroom and said he was too tired to stay up watching movies with everyone. No one was sure what had happened in the bathroom, considering America had made every room in the house sound proof, but they had a pretty strong guess to what he had done. He also had nightmares every other night, which was something he never mentioned when he was in the hospital. They didn't know what he dreamed of, only that he hated it. More often than never, Canada or Britain had crawled into bed with America so he could sleep that night. The peaceful sleep never lasted long with them there anyways, he would always start tossing and turning while uttering," Stop" and "sorry" in his sleep. So far, there had been three days America had claimed he couldn't get out of his bed, and every single time he was met with someone bringing a book or a board game or a Nintendo to entertain him while Louisiana and New England got him caught up on what he had missed out on in paperwork.

Korea never seemed to be around the house when these things happened, or, he wasn't around America when they happened. During the night he usually slept on the couch and during the day he tried to clean what mess there was left from last night's failed attempt at dinner or their latest movie binge. Apollo and Dae-dong were constantly scratching at Korea's legs, trying to get him to play as he usually would, but he seemed thrown out of the loop. He didn't talk as much and just looked overall tired, but everyone ignored it in favor of making sure America didn't starve himself to hospitalization again. He had lost two pounds of the weight he had been forced to gain back in the week that had passed. Britain left on Wednesday, claiming he needed to renew his visa and had to check on his brothers. On Saturday, Canada began to remind Korea of the address of the therapist (they lived in an apartment about ten minutes away, rather than doing business in an office) and telling him to go in with America if he was allowed the option. Korea didn't respond verbally, just gave a little nod of his head.

Sunday, Canada ate breakfast, told America and Korea to be ready to leave by 9:45, and went to his room to presumably call New France. Korea wore a Get Scared shirt he totally didn't steal from America, as well as the same pair of pants he'd been wearing for three days in a row. America wore a three-quarter sleeve Captain America shirt and sweatpants, donning his bomber jacket over the shirt. "I'm cold" America huffed as Korea gave him a questioning look. "You sure you don't want even a piece of toast or something?" Korea asks, and America bites his lip. "I wanna say I want it..." He trails off, and Korea smiles slightly," That means you do want it. I'll go fix you a slice real quick" He walks off with a little more pep in his step than before. "but the voice won't let me have it" America mumbles the last part.

* * *

 _"America, are you alright?" Britain asks, opening the bathroom door," You've been in here for thirty minutes" America curled up into a tighter ball, shivering on the tile floor. "Blimey! What happened lad, are you ill?" Britain sits on his knees beside America, brushing his hand over America's forehead. "Cold" America croaks, and Britain nods," I'm sure you are, and by the smell of it, you've thrown up" he sighs, rubbing his hands on his pants," Has there been a stomach bug going around your house? Maybe a flu or something?" America lets out a shuddering breath, cheeks flushed and sweaty," Polio in W-Washington State" he lies between his teeth, and Britain lets out a 'tsk' before wrapping America's arm around his shoulders," I can take you back to the states where your brother can watch you better than I can" Britain offers, and America shakes his head slowly," No... just w'nna go home" he mumbles, stumbling as Britain practically drags him to the guest room. Scotland was shouting up the stairs, making America wince with a dull, throbbing headache. Northern Ireland started shushing the older country, and Wales, once again, did not speak._

 _"Have you been eating properly?" Britain asks, feeling how America's arms dug into his neck in an uncomfortable way. "maybe I've skipped a few d'ys" America sighs, and Britain hisses. "That's not good! I need to get some food into you soon lad, you look completely starved to death!" "I'm fine, Britain" America insists weakly, setting himself down on the soft and neatly made bed. "No you aren't! You just threw up and look paler than- paler than Ireland!" Britain exclaims and America frowns, deep lines creasing his oily face," I said I'm fine dude" he says in his raspy voice. "Don't lie to me Alfred-" "I'm_ fine _Arthur, I just... want to go home" America shivers, and Britain just sighs. "I'll... I'll take you home, if you insist" He says in a defeated tone. He raised the boy, and he had unfortunately inherited his stubbornness. "I trust you, Alfred" Britain pulls the covers over America's stick-thin form, the younger having curled into the fetal position. He doesn't move from the guest room that night, opting to run his fingers through America's dull and greasy hair and murmuring to himself._

* * *

"This is the place" Korea says eventually, stopping in a parking lot. The apartment wasn't much to look at, but didn't look like a tenant slum either. It looked like a normal apartment building. "The paper Matthew gave me says second floor, room 56-B" Korea sighs, folding up the slip and putting it in his pocket," Let's go Al" America bites his lip guiltily, staring at the plate of buttered toast with a bit of cinnamon sugar on it, the way he would have eaten it had he been normal. But he wasn't normal, and he had wasted his sibling's money, Korea's time, and Canada's wages to pay for food and the therapist. Not to mention using up the countries' vacation days for them to be able to stay with him so long. "You getting out, or do I have to carry you?" Korea asks, looking tired. America shakes his head, standing on shaky legs and walking into the apartment building next to his best friend. "Thanks for... staying" America mumbles, and Korea simply hums in acknowledgement. They took an elevator up, knowing that America didn't have the strength to walk up the stairs. They shared with a middle-aged women and what looked to be her mother. "You guys the new neighbors?" The middle-aged women asks, and neither of them speak. "Quiet guys, finally" She huffs," There are so many people here that don't get that some of us have a job to wake up to" "W-we're going to a therapist" America sputters, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"A therapist, who- oh, you mean Reyla" The middle-aged woman frowns, and the older woman shakes her head," Poor girl, she's been trying to get her doctorate in psychology for years. Can't seem to pass her classes" "She's loud as fuck too! Always watching some weird Asian movies or playing rock music at ungodly hours. Which one of you needs therapy? I bet it's the Asian one, you look depressed. Good luck with her, her last 'patient' stopped coming after three weeks" The middle-aged one growls, and America feels himself growing nervous. "Thanks for the input" Korea says harshly, grabbing America's hand," We'll be heading to the therapist now" America said a simple goodbye to the two ladies, allowing Korea to drag him behind the older of the duo, disliking the clammy feeling of his palms around his wrist. "This Reyla person can't be all that bad" Korea mutters, knocking on the door that was labelled '56-B'. America and Korea waited for a few minutes, no sound coming from the apartment at all. "M-maybe she isn't home, we should come back later" America suggests, and Korea holds him in place," We're seeing her one way or another" he says firmly, knocking again but louder.

There's a loud groan from inside the apartment, and a few cluttering noises before the door is unlocked and is swung open to reveal a girl in her late twenties with dark hair dyed blue at the tips and pale skin, patches of skin covered in small freckles. She looked like a tired college student from the way she slouched and dressed," Yes?" She sighs, and Korea clears his throat," We're hear to see Reyla, the therapist" After a moment, she shakes her head," Reyla will be up in a minute. You two can sit on the couch or somethin'"

* * *

 _"It's so cold" America whimpers, curling into himself. He had his largest hoodie on, as well as sweatpants and a duvet pulled over his trembling form. Oregon bit his lip, tossing an apple from hand-to-hand. It killed him to see his brother like this, the man who was thought to be indestructible, the United States of America himself, the symbol of hope and policeman of the world, was starving and huddled on his bed. Sure, he hadn't been too fond of living with the loudmouth American before, but Oregon grew to enjoy being around him. "A-Al? Alfred?" Oregon calls out, entering the bedroom," You okay?" America looks over at him, pale and miserable," I'm fine dude" he attempts to smile, but it drops from his face quickly. "I brought you an apple" Oregon offers, holding it out," It's really just water so it shouldn't be too bad, right?" Oregon wasn't beating around the bush, he knew his brother had an eating disorder. It hurt him to say that, but he knew. Everyone knew. It's why they were so worried. But New England, Louisiana Territory, and Florida couldn't be there for him all the time as they were too busy taking his work load. They couldn't afford to send him to a shrink right now either, otherwise they would have done it earlier, before he got so... bad. America looks ready to reject the apple before Oregon looks at him pleadingly," Please" He croaks, voice wavering," Just this apple?"_

 _America sighs in defeat, and Oregon feels a little bit better. America tries to sit up, and Oregon sits down next to him, putting the elder's full weight on his shoulder,"I'll help you with it. We can even cut it into slices if you want" "I'd like that" America mumbles, and Oregon's heart aches with a sudden 'pang'. America wasn't supposed to mumble, he was supposed to shout everything as loud as he possibly could at all times. Oregon reached into the bedside drawer and pulled out a box knife, sliding the blade out and cutting the apple into bite sized pieces. "We think we've found Texas" Oregon says, handing America a few pieces of the apple," Santa Fe said he was somewhere near the Gulf, we were gonna look for him when New England got back" America nods, weakly taking one of the apple slices and chewing it hesitantly. Oregon feels a bit, just a tiny bit better, when America perks up enough to finish the apple slices. "Santa Fe and Ohio should be coming over soon" Oregon coos, allowing America to roll over onto him and bury his head into his neck, soaking in his body heat._

 _"I love you Alfred" Oregon sighs, wrapping his arms around him," Stupid big brother"_

* * *

America and Korea sit on the couch awkwardly, two cups of Irish Breakfast Tea on the coffee table in front of them. The blue-haired girl (who they learned was named Claudia) was reading on the floor. Neither man had offered her a seat on the couch, but they didn't need to as she said she preferred the floor. "When is Reyla going to be here?" Korea asks, trying to keep a curt tone out of his voice. Claudia shrugs," She usually comes around ten thirty, she works the night shift" Korea nods in understanding, and America shifts to lean on his shoulder. "Your friend seems pretty out of it" Claudia laughs a bit, and Korea sighs. Sensing that joking wasn't going to get the two young men to open up, she opted to offer something else. "I've been working on a pie recipe, do you want to try some?"

* * *

 **I'll try to update more often, school is ending pretty soon :3. Sorry I haven't posted in a while I've just been a bit overwhelmed**


	13. To Avoid You Getting Stressed

**School is out people! Woohoo!... I know it's been a while, but, y'know... when summer relieves your responsibilities you kind of forget everything XD**

* * *

America bit his lip, trying to look away from Claudia. Korea looks over to him," Ah, no thank you. It was a nice offer though" he tries to smile reassuringly, but it comes out as more of a grimace. Claudia shakes her head," Nonsense, you two must be starving. I'll get you both some right now" America felt himself pale slightly at the word "starving". _That's right Alfred, she sees it. She sees how weak you are to your own mind and takes pity on you. How does it feel, Mr. Mighty United States? How does it feel to completely and utterly_ _ **helpless**_ _and such a goddamn_ _ **burden**_. Korea rubs the back of his hand soothingly, reminding him that he was there to help. That eased his mind... only a little bit though. Claudia came back with two paper plates, both with skinny slices of pie on them. Korea utters a small thanks, taking a plastic fork and cutting into his slice. America said nothing, his eyes roaming over the crust, the filling, even the small swirl of whipped cream on top. Damn... he was hungry. And the pie looked so good... but he couldn't eat it. Too sugary, sugar wasn't good for his weight. But... his weight might, for the moment, be fine if his family was giving him so much food, so... one measly slice can't be bad right?

 ** _WRONG_**

God, America had actually grabbed a fork! He can't believe he was about to betray himself like this! He slapped his own hand, setting the fork down and sitting with his hands in his lap. Korea notices the behavior and frowns. America winces but doesn't say anything. "A quiet duo, huh?" Claudia laughs nervously, glancing between America, Korea, and the untouched slice of pie. "We're usually very loud" Korea shakes his head," Especially Al... He isn't feeling his best in case you can't tell" Claudia frowns, finally taking a look at America. His sunken eyes and flattened nose and sucked-in cheeks and his thin hair... she looked like she finally got it. "Oh, oh my god, I'm sorry, I didn't see.." She looks away in embarrassment, and America rings his hands together," It's fine" he mumbles," No one ever sees"

* * *

 _China wrinkled his nose at the nation in front of him, arms crossed stubbornly," Why you no take any more food? You know how much I cook for you alone? It selfish to not eat the whole meal" America winced slightly but smiled," Nah man we just take the left overs home! I even brought a take out box 'cause I know you always go overboard!" he laughs obnoxiously. Oregon had managed to nurse him well enough to get him to go to one last meeting while Florida (Poor Florida, America thought after seeing the dark circles that contrasted her sun-kissed skin) called the president to give America the next month off. America could technically just stop working, as his well-being and his alone decided the fate of the nation and not the paperwork he was stuck doing, but he liked to feel like he was helping. Anyways, Florida was on the phone with the wrinkly orange of a president that America had, while America himself stayed late talking with the Asian nations. "Mister America, perhaps it wourd be wise to finish the mear if you want to keep on China's good side" Japan says bluntly, making Taiwan and Vietnam laugh at America's face._

 _"You look sick" Philippines huffs, pressing her hand to the back of America's hand," Why didn't you say anything, Joe?" Ah, there she goes with her crazy nicknames again. "I'm not sick, sis" America laughs nervously, taking a step back. Philippines looks suspicious but doesn't press further. "Yo Al I was thinking you could come over to my place tomorrow and we could try out weird beauty hacks again" Korea slings an arm around America's shoulder, grinning. "What!? No, he coming to my place to talk about Global Warming agreement" China snaps, and Korea looks over at the blond nation. "Aha.. yeah, I did say that didn't I.." America laughs nervously, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach," I can't make it, mandatory break and all that ya know?" He lies._

 _"Bullshit" India says offhandedly, and a few people stare at him in surprise," You don't ever take breaks, not even when you're overwhelmed. Very unheroic of you" he criticizes jokingly, and America sighs," Yeah, I know..." oh wow, he actually took it seriously," I'm just sick, don't worry" And worry they did. Korea frowned, but didn't comment on his break in character," Well then... I'll see you at the next meeting! I've got an appointment to keep you know!"_

* * *

After another hour, the therapist finally showed. Her name was Reyla, like they thought. She had purple streaks in platinum blonde hair and she was pale. Really really pale. Oh well, c'est la vie, who are America and Korea to judge on paleness. They had a good hour and a half left, Korea expected it to be talking about his feelings and prescribing pills or something (it was sort of like that, Reyla asked about anti-depressants. She didn't prescribe them though. America had been taking them for a while). But... they just talked. Reyla didn't prod him when he said he felt cold or tired, she just wrote it down. When America said something about what he was actually _feeling_ , she asked him to elaborate. Embarrassed, ashamed, nervous, those were the only three he listed. But he couldn't explain them to her. She frowned, thinking, and nodded," Okay then Alfred, and what is the last thing you've eaten?" America bit his lip, obviously trying to remember. Korea cleared his throat, letting out a quiet,"Uhh.." Reyla looked over to him," Yes, Yong Soo?" "The last thing he ate was... Last week, at the hospital. He ate some low-fat sugar free stuff" Korea huffs, obviously displeased with the 'healthy' thought process. Reyla nods," Well then, Alfred, let's make it your goal to eat this week. I'll be looking forward to our next visit!"

America looks surprised," That... that's it? Really? No pills or tests or anything?" Reyla shakes her head no," I've got a pretty good idea on what to do with you" she smiles, sticking out her hand. America stares at it before shaking it, sighing," That's what the doc said, but thanks for trying" He said it in an apathetic tone, but his eyes were hopeful. He wanted to get better. Hopefully that was a point in their favor, rather than the Bulimia's.

* * *

England snorts when he heard what happened with Reyla," She better know what she's doing. Or I'm dragging your ass to my place to speak to a real professional" America cracked a small smile," Sounds like kidnapping, man.." "Not if my government knows you're there" England hums, running his fingers through America's hair. He had gotten back around noon, settling back into the guest room and he seemed more than happy to spend time with his more talkative brother-son figure. "So, are you fine with Yong Soo taking you to your appointments?" England tilts his head, and America hums in confirmation," He's nice, and my best friend. I don't really care if he watches or listens or not" he shrugs, and England bites his lip. "So... Do you have any suggestions for supper?" he gives a small smile, and America sighs. Reyla had told him to eat this week, if he could, but just the thought of eating made his stomach grow heavy and his heart clench in despair. "Uh n-no, no suggestions" America smiles, moving his head off England's lap and stretching. Even if Reyla hadn't told him how he can get better, talking about his feelings made him a bit more sociable. That's a good thing. "A girl named Florida called earlier, by the way. Said the paperwork was stacking up for you" England shakes his head," I told Timothy and Pierre they could go help her out. You're fine with me and Yong Soo right now.. right?"

America sighs, but after a moment, nods," Yeah, you two are great" he grins, and with the life in his eyes, England believed it. "I trust you two"


End file.
